Reclaimers
by Operator Blake
Summary: Blake Belladonna. Broken. Tortured. Beaten. Scarred. Lifeless. She's wanted the pain to end for so long, to just end it all. With the arrival of Jaune, whose past is shrouded in blood and murder, will she find comfort in love with the one person who cherishes her the most? Or will she succumb to the pain and remain broken forever? AU. M for Lemons, Intense violence and language.
1. Reclaim the Horizon

**A/N**

**Okay, terrible timing, I know, but I just recently started shipping Jaune x Blake overnight, so this idea popped up, and I was like Ruby eating cookies over this idea of mine. I'll try to keep up with both fics as best as I can, but it's going to be depending on whatever ship I feel in the mood in.**

**As a forewarning, there will be mentions of Longboarding in this fiction, mostly because it's something I can write properly about, because I actually do it. Nothing much more of a shirt reference anyways**

**Update- My friend and I have worked up one HELL of a plot. He's going to help write some parts too, so shoutout to him once his lazy bum gets back on**

**Update V2- Huge thanks to the95will for edits!**

**As for the music mentioned in the fic, don't expect lyrics except for one song. The rest will be mentioned in the ending A/N, and links will be posted to my profile page.**

**So. Let's introduce a fic where the Grimm never existed, the people of earth were never pushed into remnant, and the need for Hunters was never necessary.**

**But...**

**What if the Faunus still existed?**

* * *

_Monster._

That was always the first thought that came to Blake Belladonna's mind whenever she looked into the image in the mirror. She knew what it was but society deem her to be otherwise. In everyday life, there are the puns, the subtle jabs, and the brainwashed hatred in the eyes of everyday people. It was all hatred to a monster. That's what society had always treated her as, even who she thought her friends were treated her as.

She was an _abomination_ made up by the cruel game of _God_.

She stared at her extra appendages atop her ebony hair, the annoying presence of those _monstrosities_ unnerving her. She could never have the have the confidence or pride to call herself a Faunus anymore. Because what was there to proud of? Being different? That's the reason of why many of the Faunus were persecuted.

She'd cry herself to sleep every night, hoping for a better day than the last, and so the process would repeat. She'd wake up, go to school, get picked on all day, with the occasional gang beat up, go home, cry herself to sleep, and let the process repeat.

That's just how '_life_' was. A very cruel isolated box, it gets smaller until you feel crushed.

Then again, in her mind, '_life_' was a cold-hearted _bitch_.

She sighed to herself, wiping the morning crust out of her eyes. She looked at her clothing, a black tank-top on with a random pair of white shorts she had found, which she happily called her pajamas. It was a haphazard combination she found just laying around. Why need style when they hate the skin? The clothes mean so little anyways.

She'd have to face the music of school eventually, so, with whatever motivation she could muster, she moved over to her nightstand to, ironically, turn her iPod speaker on.

Blake had always thought her music choice was a little bit '_different_' that others. For example, she couldn't stand pop, but she liked punk-rock, or rock. She didn't mind the classics, but she hated country. She loved Japanese music, even if she didn't completely understand it. Seeing the beauty in something she couldn't understand. _Only if people could operate the same way_, she thought to herself. She hated rap, but loved metal. It was such an aggressive genre, it felt like she could vent out all her frustrations to the world. It was her best method of actually expressing herself.

Speaking of music, one of her more favored songs came blasting on. It was a by a pretty popular band, _A Day to Remember_. The song was '_It's Complicated'_, which title had perfectly described her life status. Swinging her head to the beat, and throwing in a dance move here or there, she began her morning routine, after listening to the song two more times.

She messily discarded her clothes before hopping into the warm shower that awaited her. Her cat ears twitched non-stop due to the water, but soon stopped after being used to the downfall of the water. Contrary to popular opinion, cats don't mind water, but only when it's on their circumstances.

She bit her lip a few times when the water ran over her unhealed knee, and most likely infected cuts and scrapes from her frequent bully sessions. She'd have to remind herself to clean those out later, but what was the point in it if they would always just come back? They were a good reminder of the

Deciding the "_on her own terms_" time was up, the shower water stopped causing her ears to twitch one more time. The cold air kissed her skin while she then left the shower and covered herself with a towel. There was a trick she caught onto a while back. Crack the window open, turn the heat on, and open the door when she got out.

By cracking the window open a little, and turning the heat on, moisture never built up on the mirrors, but the lovely heat remained in the room. By opening the door when she got out of the shower, the cool air would come in, and help perk her up, as uncomfortable as it was.

She hastily dried herself off with a towel, including viciously drying her hair. She'd been so accustomed to leaving it in its messy state. She loved just letting her hair down and free, unrestricted by anything holding it back. A sudden vibration sound rumbled across the countertop in the bathroom, jolting Blake out of her _'My hair is freer than me' _trance.

Blake wondered what could be going on in the world of the internet. After putting on several bits of clothing she walked to her desk. She opened her mini laptop, and saw a blinking green icon on her screen. She knew who was going to call, and allowed herself to purse her lips slightly into a smile. She clicked on the icon.

"What's up, Kit-Kat?" An obnoxious voice blared on onto her speakers.

Blake couldn't have been more thankful for this blonde female in her life. Her name was Yang Xiao Long, but she wasn't Chinese at all. There was a visit to China when Yang was very young. It was there, her parents had asked her to stay put at park bench. She waited and waited. After two days, Yang never lost hope. A man who ran a food stand fed her those two days. On the third day, he learned of the reason of why she was waiting. He didn't have the heart to tell her that little Yang was abandoned. So taking responsibilities of which her parents lacked, and a bit of convincing with his wife, that server, and his family took the little blonde in. It was there she was raised into the headstrong young woman she was today.. All of this happened at the Year of the Dragon festival during sunrise.

Which was the literal term of how she got her name. "_Sun Little_ _Dragon_".

Yang had been one of the very few people at the massive school she went to that was actually friends with Blake. A _real_ friend. The two would seem like an unlikely pair to be with one another. One day, Blake forgot her wallet at home and was in need of food one night, the blonde girl gave Blake a bowl of much needed noodles on day. From there, Blake and Yang got to become best friends. Not like that fake clingy 'BFF' bullshit. Yang was someone to talk to, to have fun with, and to share endearing insults with.

Then again, Blake was also friends with Neptune and Lie Ren. They however have very busy schedules, they hardly had time to hang around, and so whatever little clique of friends she had, it was never in school.

Yang was definitely someone not to mess with, too. Despite her gorgeous blonde hair, and luminescent lilac eyes, plus her more than well-developed bust, Yang was a top notch boxer, winning plenty of tournaments before. It came into being because a man threatened her foster dad's food stand. She unleashed her untapped potential while being backed up by her foster father. After that, she wanted to punch people ever since.

Blake had always thought Sexy Death had a name, like most avatars on the internet. After spending so many years with Yang, she had a good feel for who Sexy Death actually was. She traced her attention back to the screen, where Yang was awaiting her reply. Blake thought about coming up with a way to annoy Yang, but couldn't think of anything clever.

"Just getting ready for another day in Fun-Land." Blake exhaled part of her worries. While she waited for Sexy Death's reply she grabbed another towel off the rack on the back of the door, and began to lightly dry herself off.

"Cheer up. Half the sports team are away games, and the only real problem you have to face is Ice Queen. The news gets even better. Neptune got his schedule rearranged, so he shares more classes with us now." Yang said, perking up near the end.

Diving into her memory, Blake recalled of how Yang and Neptune always had each-other's backs. They had been friends for years now. Within the passage of time, it seemed like when Yang arrived back from China, it was only mere weeks ago. In fact, it had been 8 years.

"Did you hear? The White Fang just assaulted a Schnee Company Dust Refinery." Yang said, sending a virtual news link report to Blake's laptop. She nearly hissed in anger when she saw the White Fang getting away with employee hostages and dust.

_Dust_.

This mysterious mineral had just appeared out of nowhere. Apparently, a new stage in human evolution had occurred. A presence of this "_aura_" most likely caused this. Nobody understood what it was, but scientists understood that in order to use this aura, Dust must be used in cooperation. A new and expanding science, it was ridiculed at first but was adopted by the public and with the research to show the potential impact to help the world.

It was a great energy propellant, but with chance to change it into something deadly, basic instincts emerged to create conflict. The White Fang, formerly a peaceful Faunus representative group, has been relentlessly attacking facilities that housed Dust. Which, mostly was all owned by the Schnee Corporation. Considered to be a terrorist organization by now, and was used as the main motive toward the persecution of the Faunus people.

Blake paused the video chat, preparing to dress into her casual clothes, which was a pair of dark black jeans, and a white Originalskateboards _"Save your soul, start a revolution"_ T-shirt. While she was a fan of longboarding, and watching some people go over sixty miles per hour, she'd only manage to casually ride downhill, and some technical tricks.

It was a healthy pastime, and stress reliever. Being a seventeen year old girl had its ups and downs, but for her case, it mostly was downs. A lot of them, but hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?

'_Well...'_ Blake began to think to herself, but forcefully stopping that thought process. No need for a schizophrenic debate at Seven A.M, right?

"Alright cats, I'll see you at school. You going to ride your bike and should I bring a ball of yarn?" Yang asked, returning Blake's attention back to her, whom, she unintentionally forgot was there.

"Yeah and you better not. Also Glynda pulled some strings and got that court case going over my moldy basement. Some riffraff (_I'll just leave my little note here. See if anyone catches the previous phrase.) _Went down over it. 'Apparently, the government was supposed to handle it, and didn't. So, these nice guys came over, remodeled the basement, and child services gave me an extra thousand dollars this month. So I have gas money to spare now." Blake finished, leaving Yang with a smile on her face.

"See, not all people despise the Faunus. I think it's just our fucked up generation that can't accept it. Not that the media isn't helping either… There are those adults here and there, but our generation just doesn't want to accept it. From China, I learned very quickly, that just because someone is different than you, doesn't mean you treat them differently." Yang replied, lowering her tone significantly towards the end of her little rant. It brought a small grin to Blake's pale face, anyhow.

Blake sighed out a small laugh, however she found it possible. It the kind of half-hearted laugh meant to bring the conversation back to something less serious. "Thanks, Long. I'll see you at school." Blake saw Yang's head nod, and her face graced with a bright smile, as if reassuring her before ending the call. Feeling much more refreshed than she did waking up, Blake exited the bathroom, fully letting the cool air blow against her smooth, but open-poured skin. She raised her back to the ceiling, cats do love to stretch.

She let out a small shiver in delight, feeling the cool air work wonders for her body. Raising her arms above her head, she stretched her loose muscles as best she could. She lowered her legs into a forward split, feeling her tight jeans comfortably expanding with her body. Her left ear twitched in a gentle breeze.

She continued her stretches for a few minutes, taking advantage of the hot shower loosening her muscles. While she was already quite flexible, she had always loved the tremble of the muscles when she stretched too far. It was very similar to someone waking up and doing one of their "limbs go anywhere" stretch.

She let her ears focus to the song playing on her iPod. A rather feels-esque song, _'You're not alone'_ by a now dismembered band, _Saosin_. Sighing to herself for the umpteenth time that morning, she grudgingly removed herself from the floor, turned her iPod off, and grabbed her black jacket off the coat hanger. It had been a little chilly that morning, so she grabbed her favorite jacket.

It was a warm but thin lining of fleece on the inside, with an elastic-type of nylon-polyester that formed the snug fitting exterior. She zipped it up all the way to her neck, while she slipped her thumbs through the small thumb holes on the sleeves of the jacket.

Moving towards the garage door, she grabbed her white backpack off the floor, its minimal weight not slowing her in the latest. Swiftly grabbing her keys off the hook by the door, she opened the garage door to her pride and joy.

A metallic-ebony 2014 Yamaha YZF-R6, complete with new rims, tires, and custom paint job. It had taken her a year of saving, two weeks of begging Glynda, her semi-foster mother, to get it, and when she did, she had ridden it for twelve hours straight. The perks of being able to see at night.

Blake had anyways loved the feeling of riding motorcycles. She couldn't stand cars, always so boxed in and secluded. She wanted to be free, than suffocate in a condensed deathtrap. Of course, as long as subjugation and discrimination occurred with the Human and Faunus people, she doubted that "freedom" could ever be achieved.

She walked over the bike, picking its sleek black helmet up off the seat of it. Reaching inside, she felt the metallic ring of her keys, and a small piece of circular elastic. Pulling both out, she tossed the keys on the seat, and tied the piece of elastic around her hair, making a ponytail out of the wild mess.

She loved her hair loose, but tying it up over getting it stuck in another car, or something, was a much less appealing idea. While the odds of that were super slim, Blake had never been the kind to be too careful, considering her past experiences. Frowning at the various memories that resurfaced in her mind, she blocked out the impeding angst trip.

Now that she had thought about it, she actually was a deeply caring, sensitive person on the inside. She'd often thought she'd put other people before herself most of the time. It wasn't necessarily the smartest move or course in life, but it suited her well.

Her thoughts drifted back to school. While a few of the teachers she knew were accepting of the Faunus, most weren't. She had obviously noted that when the amount of work she had to do nearly tripled with these teachers. There was always the headmaster, also her Uncle as well. His name was Ozpin. He was an extremely kind man, who held a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination of the Faunus.

Blake slid onto the bike, swiftly, while also gracefully placing her helmet over her head. The helmet was a comfy mesh on the inside, with a dark black exterior. It looked like a cross between a dirt bike and motorcycle helmet, but is still had a definable sleek and smooth look to it.

She turned the key, feeling the motorcycle roar to life underneath her. Pressing the garage door opener button attached to her keychain, she looked back to see the morning sunrise peak over the forested mountains in the distance.

She had lived alone for well over seven years now, accustomed to her small, three bedroom house. The best part of the house she technically owned, was that it was up in the mountains, a little further away than the residential area for the thirty or so small town that was up the mountain. Her breathing hitched every now and then, a sign that the altitude was very high. Around 8,000 feet or so, was her best guess.

The local parks department had also finished paving the _whole_ mountain with a new style of super-smooth blacktop. This led for a smooth ride up and down the mountain, which nobody could ever complain about. _Ever_.

Rolling in reverse out of her garage, using her feet to help balance her backwards approach to the road, she felt the change in ground from small, pebbly gravel, to smooth blacktop. Pulled out into the road now, she eyed the long and winding road down the mountain beneath her. The sun was halfway over the horizon now, its glare bouncing off her helmet's visor.

Toying with the throttle a little, she began the long descent down the mountain, often waving to her "neighbors" when she rolled through the one street town. They all returned her waves, and she often saw some of the little kids point and smile at her as she rode by.

School

Blake had just rolled into the school parking lot, which almost was a little too big. The good news about this was that she would never have trouble parking away from everyone else. Glynda and Ozpin had offered her a spot in the teachers lot, or the auto-shop garage, but Blake had declined it, saying that "I don't need special treatment" as an excuse.

She parked in her usual spot, far off in the corner, where nobody could ever bother her. She slid off her bike with feline grace, the same way every morning, which always elicited a scoff from her. She took her helmet off, feeling the cool air blissfully assault her face, still reeling in from her excitement of the ride.

She clipped her helmet to the backside of her backpack, ensuring it wouldn't hit her elbows or arms while she walked or ran. Walking down the school sidewalk, her eyes drifted to all the cars in it. Interestingly enough, today, there was a Yamaha and Ducati parked in the same spot. She noticed the change in scenery when she walked past them, they weren't usually there before.

She came to the conclusion it could be new students, or visitors, she shrugged the thought out of her mind. She saw the main entrance to the school, and the usual massive crowd of students around it. The different kinds of groups scattered across the school's entrance grounds similar to how islands scattered across the ocean in the Pacific. All in huddles, each chatting about anything and everything.

There wasn't really a safe or best route today, so it looks like she'd just have to walk through the front. Before walking, her amber eyes scanned the area for Yang, whom she hadn't seen yet, which was rather unusual, considering Yang would be at the school earlier than her. Yang was the armor to make the mornings much more tolerable.

Not daring to keep track of the count, before beginning her evenly-paced walk into the school. She turned down to the main sidewalk, ignoring the glares and glances she received. As if rehearsed, with agility only a cat could have, the Faunus ducked under a football, then sidestepped an oncoming soccer ball.

She'd hear the words "freak" or "animal", but ignoring them was a simple task. They were meaningless words that people always used to being out a reaction in her. She would wear headphones to her iPod, but that makes it easier to see the disapproving looks and words of malice to be spoken.

_'Halfway there' _she thought to herself, the black metal doors with large windows only a mere thirty feet away,

She'd let her guard down, thinking there was nothing to worry about at this point, so when the baseball came flying out of nowhere, it fully connected to the back of her head. She sharply cried out in pain, instantly rubbing the point of impact. Like all forms of pain of the jolt of electricity followed by the slow and bitter burning sensation.

Of all the glorious time for Yang to show up, '_now was the time_,' Blake thought, as she saw Yang run to her side. Yang wore her usual outfit, as they had dubbed it. In reality, it was whatever jeans she found on the floor, and the same yellow hoodie she wore every day.

Yang's lilac eyes scanned over Blake, who forced back tears. "Hey, you alright, Blake?" Yang asked with sympathy, closely walking on Blake's side. They both looked back to see Cardin, captain of the football team snickering, but soon boisterously laughing with a large crowd of people at Blake. Blake often tried to not look into the faces of those who harassed her.

What really drew the girls' attention were the two blond-haired boys pushing their way through the crowd. The one on the left had the most piercing cerulean eyes Blake had even seen in her life, but the hood covering most of his head blocked her view, constantly. The hood bobbed up and down slightly, which was the only instances that Blake could see his face. He wore a dark blue hue of jeans, with a black hoodie. It was odd because this was something she didn't experience other than Yang.

The one on the right was just a monkey, literally. He was tall, blond, blue-eyed, yellow monkey tail swaying behind him which was just as bright as his hair. He wore light blue jeans, and an unbuttoned white dress shirt. Which showed off his more than chiseled six-pack.

The two friends stopped, and tried to listen in on the conversation that was happening. The boy with the hood removed his hood, revealing spiky, messy, untamed, and wild blond hair. There was no other way Blake could describe him from this distance, other than something 'dangerously casual.'

Her cat-ears twitched, picking up the conversation.

"Hey, did you throw that ball at that girl?" The now un-hooded boy asked. There was a hint of fury in his tone.

Cardin laughed again, his brow, short-cropped hair slightly bouncing with his head. "So what if I did?" he said, still laughing. "What're you and ape-shit over there going to do about it?"

The black- hoodie boy's face went into a deathly frown after hearing that. "Listen here, you piece of shit. I don't appreciate the cowards that prey on others, which goes two times as much for the Faunus. What makes my blood boil are people like you, how could you do this!? Especially since you hit a _girl_." The boy spat out, lacing the last few words with absolute venom.

Before Cardin could speak again, the sound of cracking and skin flapping echoed throughout the school, and then the sound of a dull _'thud'_ as a body hit the grass.

Blake looked on in absolute awe, her mouth slacked open in unbelievable surprise.

That boy just socked Cardin across the chin, he most likely broke his jaw, if her ears didn't deceive her, and sent him unconscious! Unbelievable! The monkey Faunus behind him laughed, placing a hand on the other blond boy's shoulder. He motioned towards Blake, and they began to approach her and Yang.

Blake saw Yang with a shit-eating grin on her face, who kept looking back between the unconscious Cardin, the two boys, and Blake. The two boys had finally reached the two girls, a short distance of three feet separating them. Blake could finally get a clear look them.

The boy that punched Cardin eyed Blake carefully, from the crinkles in her jeans at the ankles, the way her shirt still brought out her curves, her watery eyes, and her cat ears that pointed back the way a dog's or cat's would when they were scared, or in retreat.

"Are you alright?" The hoodie boy showed his concern. Hoodie boy, Blake had dubbed him. She dully nodded her head, realizing her lips wouldn't respond to any commands, whatsoever. '_Dam__mi__t brain, work with me here.__'_

"My name is Jaune, and this is Sun Wukong." Jaune spoke, his tone now slightly uplifted. Yang raised her eyebrows, quite visibly at mention of Sun's last name.

Blake's mouth could form no words, her mind still trying to grasp the dense gravity of the situation that had just unfolded in front of her very own two eyes. She was thankful when Yang began to talk, because there was no way she'd ever be able to formulate a simple syllable at this rate.

"Don't mind my friend, she's just a little shaken up right now. Her name is Blake Belladonna." Yang had introduced, saving Blake the embarrassment of her speechlessness.

"And you?" Sun had asked. Yang snickered to herself. Blake knew where this was going.

"Yang,"

"Yang Xiao,"

"Yang Xiao Long"

Jaune and Sun laughed, pleased with Yang's more than obvious sense of humor.

"Do you know _Xiao Long_ I've been waiting to hear a familiar name?" Sun asked, making Yang heartily laugh in response.

"Anyways, I'd better get Blakey here moving." Yang said, letting her laughter retain in her speech.

The boys smiled and nodded in return. Blake nearly jumped in surprise when she felt Jaune's hand gently run over the spot where the baseball had impacted against her skull. His hand felt so warm and soft against her head, gently brushing past her ebony locks, almost caressing the point of impact. His hand gave off a warm feeling, almost parental. Normally, she wouldn't allow anyone else to touch her.

She'd let her guard down, and paid the price for it. Never imagining the consequences, as usual. She felt a warm streak of liquid was felt go down her face. It was agonizing, feeling the cruelly slow descent of liquid emotion. It felt like someone took the key to the box she kept her emotions in, opened the box, as whipped it into the crowd, all its contents spilling out for the world to see. The tear became a waterfall.

For a rare time in her life, she actually felt it.

_Vulnerability._

Her body completely complied when Jaune slyly spun her around, throwing his arm around her side, walking her into the school with Yang and Sun in tow. She gave Jaune a sidelong glance, which he caught, quickly winking at her. Putting two and two together, she realized the scraggly boy had understood the situation, and on the spot, had thought of a compelling escape plan.

The four of them moved through the hallways, Blake and Sun receiving glares, and death threats, but most were geared towards Blake. The threats bounced off Blake's ears, just more meaningless words, but Jaune didn't take warmly to any of it. For every glare, or death threat, he returned it tenfold, which quickly shut the prying onlookers up for once.

They had finally had reached their destination, the roof of the school. Yang had led the way for the most part, but it seemed Jaune and Sun were also familiar with the school's layout as well. Blake walked over to the edge of the roof, enjoying the breeze that blew by. She saw birds glide with the breeze, the free wind taking them anywhere in the world.

Her nerves now more calmed and at-peace then earlier, she lightly tugged out of Jaune's gripped, whom he carefully let her out of. Re-attaining her basic motor functions, she turned to Jaune, and gave a small, but warming smile. She wiped away her tears. She was lucky that her nose didn't get runny yet.

Blake stared at the blond haired boy, whom oddly reminded her of a knight. "Thank you. I really can't thank you enough for what you did."

Jaune's smile grew, obviously happy that Blake was speaking again. "It's my pleasure. I can't stand things like that." Jaune spoke. Blake found Jaune to be interesting at this point. She could tell that there was honesty to his words, a show of good character and moral.

"Well, thank you again." Blake spoke with newfound excitement, which elicited a laugh from Jaune. She looked up and raised her eyebrow.

"You can stop apologizing now. I'm just doing what I think is right." Jaune replied.

Yang hopped in the conversation, her face ridden with anticipation. "I think you're seeing something '_right'_ this instant, aren't you?" Yang spoke with a teasing manner in her voice. Simultaneously, Yang eyed Jaune and Blake. Jaune replied with a blush, while huffing and rolling his eyes.

Yang nearly fell over when she saw Blake's checks turn into a cherry red glow, while coughing into her hand, in a very discreet manner. It was so beyond uncharacteristic for Blake, it was the first time Yang had ever seen it with Blake. Yang didn't want this be escape from Blake.

_'At least it'll be good gossip talk for later...'_ Yang thought on the positive note.

Heads turned to the door leading to the roof, as a loud, yet distinct sound of a door opening was heard. A man walked on to the roof, and looked at the four teenagers with a slight smile. His white hair, styled in a similar fashion as Jaune's gently swayed in the wind.

He wore a long black overcoat, which most related to looking like a military trench coat out of World War I, but in a dark black with a green dress shirt underneath.

His golden eyes peered over his low-resting spectacles, which eyed Blake with obvious concern. He walked towards the female Faunus, then resting his hand on the point of impact. Blake winced at the contact. For some reason that she couldn't explain, his hands hurt, and Jaune's didn't. It wasn't that he was trying to hurt her, or anything like that, but that it actually _did_ hurt. When he lifted his hand up, there were faint traces of blood, which raised everyone's concern.

"Are you alright, Blake?" The man spoke, still eyeing Blake with a fatherly type of expression. Blake nodded back at the man, who sighed in relief, happy with the response. His golden eyes then wandered to Jaune, who gulped at the glare he received.

"And you, Mr. Arc..." The man paused, filling the rooftop with an immediate feeling of suspense. "Have given out justice that was long overdue." The man finished, turning towards the courtyard, where everyone saw Cardin being carried away by the nurse, and some of his lackeys in tow.

Jaune audibly sighed, dropping to the floor. "God, Uncle Oz, you wanna scare me a little more?"

"Uncle? Uncle Ozpin, you never told me you have a nephew." Blake said, which Jaune promptly did a double take at. "He's your uncle too?" He said, unbelieving in the credibility of the situation at hand.

"Ooo, looks like the headmaster has been living up to his name." Yang said with a more than playful tone. The whole group, excluding Ozpin laughed, watching the older man face-palm himself. The dry humor of Yang was something that usually cheered Blake up.

He stifled a small laugh, turning to Yang. "You need some new material, Xiao Long... Which you can think about in detention today." This turn, everyone laughed at Yang. She didn't shrugged and she rose her hands in a whatever shrug. It was worth it because now that everyone lightened up. But with that, a prolonged feeling began to fester.

"Now on a more serious note, I still need to have Blake checked for a concussion. If it weren't for the fact Cardin is in a legal football contract with the school, I'd expel him myself." Ozpin said, heaving a sigh at the end. Yang glared at Ozpin, who looked back as if he'd done nothing wrong.

"Is something wrong? I'll give Cardin more detention if you want. I can suspend him too." Ozpin spoke, treading hostile waters. The scowl on Yang's face grew, and her body posture absolutely screamed lividness.

"I'll even-"

_**SMACK**_

Yang punched the nearby wall to the stairway, causing everyone, including Ozpin to flinch at the brutality that she subjugated her fist to. Yang retracted her extended arm from the wall, her knuckles and fingers shredded and bloody. She punched the wall, again, leaving bloodstains on its faded-white surface.

Her tone was beyond pissed, nearly yelling to her lungs content, "I can't fucking do this anymore, God Dammit! It's the same exact BULLSHIT every single day! Blake always gets hurt, and always brushes it off like its nothing, and in the end, everyone else gets THE FUCK AWAY WITH IT! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, OZPIN!" Yang screamed, her frustrations fully being barraged at Ozpin.

"Yang, you know I'm doing all I can-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, OZPIN! YOU HAVEN'T DONE SHIT TO PROTECT HER!" Yang screamed, the harsh vocal torment violently ringing through everyone's ears.

"Yang..." Blake moved to interrupt, but was silenced when Yang glared at her, a near killing intent rolling off her. This time, her tone was lower and darker. "And you, Blake. You always try to be strong as to shake it off, but I know what happens when you get home. Just like any sane person would, you break down, fully knowing the consequences of coming back when this _headmaster_ doesn't do _shit_ to help."

"I've watched for eight damn years now, as you've gotten beaten up, sometimes to the brink of death, trampled on, bullied, and treat it like it was nothing, always trying to be strong in front of everyone else. You don't know how much it hurts me, or Ruby, or Lie Ren, or Neptune, hell, even Pyrrha and Nora feel bad, and they aren't even in our classes anymore!" Yang finished, angry tears trailing down her flushed cheeks.

Jaune and Sun didn't seem uncomfortable with the situation at all, if anything, they seem pull the pin to the grenade by what Blake had been through, more than anything. Ozpin had remained silent, a glum expression etched into his bowed head.

Ozpin raised his head, looking over to where Blake stood. "Blake, you never told me that this was a daily occurrence...This is the first time I've heard about anything with this kind of physical violence. Don't tell me you've been hiding this from me, too." He finished, his speech being slow and rather saddened. It was very uncharacteristic for anyone who'd known him. He was generally a very enlightened person, with a very careful, but proud sense of humor. All eyes turned to Blake, who absorbed the peer pressure.

Blake was extremely uncomfortable with the current dilemma, visibly fidgeting, her eyes scanned the ones of her peers, and then landed to the still open door. Sun and Jaune were off to her left side, Ozpin had moved closer to her right during his speech, and Yang was so blinded by anger, Blake doubted that she'd do anything if she sprinted for it.

With grace only someone of feline descent could have, Blake bolted for the stair door, kicking her foot against the open door to help propel her flying descent down the first flight of stairs. As fast as her legs could carry her, she ran to wherever her legs would take her.

Blake never had social anxiety, but that moment up on the rooftop had to be the worse case of it she'd ever experienced in her life. Her mind racked up ideas on where to go, until it had finally clicked. Changing her course of direction, she headed into the school's auditorium, heading for the small area on the large second floor balcony reserved for stage crew.

Essentially, it was like a senior lounge, but with peace and quiet backing it up. Blake slowed her sprint to a walk, and then jumped onto the purple couch, being sure to sling her backpack with helmet off her back before landing. Broken backs weren't the first thing on the agenda for this year. She passed many students, and she didn't pay attention to any them during her escape.

Blake sat up against the corner of the couch, stretching her legs out on the worn plush cushions. She reached down to grab her backpack, bringing it on to her lap. Unzipping it, she dug around in its meager contents, until she pulled a small black book out. Feeling her giddiness being aroused, she hastily opened the book to read its smutty contents. It was her beloved hobby that eased her mind of any situation.

The sound of the bell faintly echoed out in the hallways, but she ignored it. It didn't matter, she was just eager to escape… Her first period class of Trigonometry with the most anti-Faunus teacher, and possibly being, in the entire school, and always made sure that her class was living hell.

Toning out the world, she'd set back to reading her smut book, which she was enjoying most graciously. It truly was a work of Art, at least in her own opinion, so she thought. Lucky for her, the author doesn't intend to stop writing, so her hobby had a future.

Her mind drifted back the incident on the roof. It had been the first time Blake had ever seen Yang snap like that before. Sure, Yang could get very angry at times, but not enough to mutilate her own body, or use vulgarities to the extent in which she did.

_'In retrospect, it may have not have been the best idea in the world to take off like that. Ozpin has treated me like family ever since Mom and Dad died, and I've lied to him so many times now. I've completely betrayed his trust...'_ Blake somberly thought, feeling the all-familiar tears well up in her eyes again.

While she was immersed, her breathing began to balance out. It happened whenever she was truly relaxed. The image on the roof began to repeat in her mind, it playing over and over again, tormenting her. She bit her lip, hoping the slight bit of pain would redirect her thoughts to her book. There was no need of light for obvious reasons, so it made it easier for her to hide.

Her mind drifted to Yang, her words echoing in her mind. _'I've watched for eight damn years now, as you've gotten beaten up, sometimes to the brink of death, trampled on, bullied, and walk away like it was nothing, always trying to be strong in front of everyone else. You don't know how much it hurts me, or Ruby, or Lie Ren, or Neptune, hell, even Pyrrha and Nora feel bad, and they aren't even in our classes anymore!"_

Blake pinched her nose, closing her eyes. She heard the faint _'squish'_ of the blood being squished around behind her eyes, and soon felt the hot tears exit her eyes. She laid her book on her stomach, doing her best to clear her of all thoughts. She slowly lost the fight and gave up, letting the tears run freely down her face. Making no attempt to quiet her sniffles, her very quiet sobs echoed throughout the wide cold and empty balcony. It was the cries of troubled siren.

She berated herself, she knew she was better than this. _'I'm so much stronger than this. What's making me cry? What is so special this time!?'_ She cursed to herself mentally. It struck across her face, the revelation became clear.

Jaune and Sun. The absolute _seething_ anger they gave off when she got hit by the baseball. How angry they were when Yang spilled her heart out at Ozpin and herself. It's because this time, Blake knew deep down...

'...They_ care...'_

She'd been blinded by mental barriers. Making the fake vision that her life was fine, she allowed herself to live in a false method of living, thinking that nobody cared about what happened to her. She didn't need to tell Ozpin or Glynda what was happening, because she thought they wouldn't care. It was all one, big, fat, _lie_.

This realization only made her tears worse. She swore her sobs must've gotten twice, or even thrice as loud as before. This growing sense of buried emotion, she nearly jumped to the roof and screamed her lungs out when she felt a large hand suddenly rest on her shoulder. _'__As if it would make everything better.__'_

She remained absolutely still and silent, tears hill freely cascading down her flushed cheeks. The large hand on her shoulder felt oddly familiar. Warm, comforting, careful, she'd swear she felt this hand before. It clicked. _Jaune._

Blake smiled to herself, fully knowing that things were going to take a turn for the better. She slid down the couch, fully laying down on it, her legs propped up on the far arm of the worn cloth.

She felt the decline in elevation when he sat next to her. Her head slid up against his leg, which hardly budged, indicating tight muscles, which then indicated, well-built. Using her legs, she pushed her head up on the side of Jaune's leg, giving her neck better elevation.

"Reading?" His soft voice asked, looking towards the black book the still remained in Blake's stomach. She shook her head a few times in response. "What's it about?" He asked. She cleared her throat, doing her best to get the dryness to go away from her earlier crying.

"It's about a man with two souls, each one battling over control of his body. In the mean-time, he has to try to hide it from the one he loves the most. If he doesn't find true love by the Winter Equinox, then both souls will perish, leaving his body an empty shell." Blake's voice was clearer and stronger with each word. "All of that angst, he unleashes it with a woman that tries to understand him."

She heard Jaune laugh a little. She raised an eyebrow, but he waves her down. "Sounds deep... and smutty." Jaune had bits of playfulness in his voice. Blake blushed, _hard_.

"You know what this is!?" Blake said, a loudness approaching in her voice. Jaune laughed, and leaned down into her human ear. He let a small breath out, sending a shiver down her spine. "_In the closet, smut reader._" He whispered out. Blake covered her eyes in embarrassment, not pleased with the current situation at hand.

"Anyways, Yang and Ozpin are looking for you." Jaune said. Blake regained her composure, a frown etched to her face. "I'm not in the mood to talk to them..." She adverted eye contact with Jaune.

"How old were you when it happened, Blake?" Blake was completely thrown off by his question.

She gave him an inquisitive look, "When what happened? What're you talking about?" Blake said in confusion.

"When your parents passed away." Jaune spoke with absolute firmness, not a hint of wavering in his voice. "I see the way Uncle Oz acted when Yang went on her little angst rant. He was _sad_, Blake. I've known Uncle Oz for _years_ now, and I've never seen him sad, _ever. _He's like a second father to you, isn't he?" Jaune said, nailing the head with the hammer on Blake.

"I was six when my parents died. They were killed by the White Fang, eleven years ago. They were the kindest, pro-Faunus humans I had ever seen in my life, and the White Fang went and killed them, in cold blood, in blind fury. I swore to myself, I would never be able to move on until I killed the man who did it. Call it a revenge complex, or whatever you want, but that's just the way it is."

Blake remained silent, letting Jaune's words sink into her skin. Those words had been seared itself in her mind right then. She'd never forget the uncontaminated look of resolve that Jaune had when he spoke.

She sighed, preparing for the story she was about to tell.

"It all started when I was four..."

* * *

**Don't you guys fare follow/fav this story if you didn't review. I don't care if you don't have an account, or if you're too lazy. A simple one word "GOOD" is all I need. I refuse to post new chapters of ANYTHING if we can't get 5 reviews.**

**;3**


	2. Reclaim our Past

**A/N**

**Well, I'm back with another chapter. Special thanks to-**

**You are right...NOT**

**Santaclaws351**

**AfroThunda**

**Koye**

**Holy ThunderForce**

**Kegi Springfield**

**Zaynal**

**ChaosDemon1129**

**commander Jackass**

**Guest 1**

**Guest 2**

**AND AN AWESOME THANKS TO- Roosterteethfanatic, who added my story to "The best of RWBY Fanfiction" community!**

**Unfortunately for you, school is starting this week, so I will do my best to write this when I can. Not much else to put here. Maybe a teaser?**

**_TEASER_**

**JTF-141**

**Now, on with the story.**

* * *

_"How old were you when it happened, Blake?" __These were words Blake wasn't expecting from Jaune._

_She gave him an inquisitive look, "When what happened? What're you talking about?" B__lake raised an eyebrow. Obviously setting up a mental wall to the conversation._

_"When your parents died." Jaune spoke with absolute firmness, not a hint of wavering in his voice. "I saw the way Uncle Oz acted when Yang went on her little angst rant. He was sad, Blake. I've known __him __for years now, and I've never seen him sad, ever. He's like a second father to you, isn't he?" Jaune nai__led__ the head with the hammer on Blake._

_"I was six when my parents died. They were killed by the White Fang, eleven years ago. They were the kindest, pro-Faunus humans I had ever seen in my life, and the White Fang went and killed them, in cold blood. I swore to myself, I would never be able to move on until I killed the man who did it. Call it a revenge complex, or whatever you want, but that's just the way it is." She gave her inner__most buried thoughts._

_Blake __let the words sink__ in Jaune's__ mind.__ Those words had been etched deeply on her mind right then. She'd never forget the pure look of determination that Jaune had when he spoke._

_She sighed, preparing for the story she was about to tell._

_"It all started when I was four..."_

Blake sighed somberly, not particularly pleased with the story she _really_ didn't want to tell. Sure, Jaune seemed like an understanding type of guy, but she was clueless as to why she could trust him. Yeah he did rescue her from.. well herself. Other than giving Cardin a helping of justice, that had been about all he did.

Blake had trouble even thinking about her childhood. It was something she didn't cherish, nor something memorable. Maybe it was best to not talk about it at the moment, though Jaune had seemed like the persistent and perceptive type. She had a tinge of doubt that he would just let this go. That kind of crap will be endearing and annoying to deal with. Blake weighed her options, and reaffirmed with herself to take the short and simple route.

"My parents abandoned me in a filthy alley when I was six, then, they were mugged and killed." Blake grieved, a pure, frozen, emotionless tone laced with her sorrowed words. She saw Jaune close his eyes, and his indrawn curiosity before opening his eyes.

He looked down at her, who was still laid comfortably on the couch, or rather his lap.

"I know I'm a still a bit of a stranger to you, but when you're ready to talk, just let me know." Jaune comforted. Blake found comfort in his words. "Did you ever find the killer?" Jaune wanted to ask that important question.

"I did." Blake spoke, her answer right to the point.

"And?" Jaune asked, pressing the matter.

Blake scoffed. "I killed him with same gun he used to kill my parents, and I _savored_the very moment of it." She said, a cruel grin emerged to her face. She took such pleasure in ending that man's life. The ultimate power of controlling another person's fate. The absolute _divine_ power to decide whether they were allowed to remain in the world of the living or to be dragged to the depths of Hell.

It was simply _sadistic and addictive. _The memories of that moment, it stuck around. It was recalling a distinctive moment in time you could remember every detail.

The ultimate surprise came when Jaune's expressions remained unchanged. She couldn't help but stare at Jaune, who returned her stare.

Jaune flashed her a quick grin, which stupefied Blake to an even higher extremity. "I'd do the same."

Blake remained silent. At this point, no words were necessary. There was a mutual understanding now. They were both killers. Possibly the most blatant thing they have in common. A desire for revenge. While Blake may never know if Jaune had ended another person's life before, she was absolutely sure that Jaune would be absorbed into the sensations of a kill. It was simple, it was human nature. No, it was Faunus nature as well. Humans can be high and mighty as much as they want. They still have basic and savage instincts.

In a way, it was cruel and sad. Thoughts like these are what drive people to insanity, something Blake thought she had reached on multiple occasions. Thoughts like this weren't right, they never are, but then again, life was never fair, was it? Her life had never been fair, after all.

Blake let her mind drift off into nothingness. All of that aggression seeped out of her. She started to feel a heavy burden. Blake spent too much time thinking. All she did was _think_. For now, she just allowed herself to wipe it clean and just reset herself. She almost became something she wasn't.

_'Keep this up... and I'm nothing better than the White Fang.' _Blake concluded with herself.

Jaune looked down upon Blake, her pale face scrunching often, or making different faces of relief. It was clear that there was an obvious mental struggle going on in front of his eyes, but with the cruel glint in Blake's eyes, and often sadistic grin she grew, it was definitely paramount to shake her out of this trance.

He focused in in Blake's eyes, peering into the deep struggle in confusion they held deep within. The sadness, the joy, the pain, and even the love. It was all a battlefield, every emotion raging against each-other in a torrent of fury.

With as caring, yet dangerously firm voice, Jaune began to command in absoluteness.

"Blake, snap out of it. _Now._"

Jaune saw the slight struggle on Blake's face, but was relieved when her dull eyes focused into his piercing cerulean ones. He heard a faint mutter of "I'm sorry...", gracing a smile upon his worried face.

"It's alright. It's never easy talking about things like that. I sorry for even bringing it up. Maybe for now, it's best not to talk about the particular subject." Jaune apologized, a whole-hearted honesty backing his words. He recalled the same emotion Blake felt. It was so savory to become intoxicated by it. But he didn't want this to determine the kind of friendship to have with Blake.

_'Friendship?' _Jaune noticed how fast his mind was going. He returned to the matter at hand.

Blake nodded her head, affirming Jaune's words. She took a deep breath to reconcile her previous thoughts, submerging the dangerous temptations. She was quite glad that Jaune was there. In all honesty, she wouldn't know what to do if he wasn't.

"So, are you just going to sit around and sulk all day?" Jaune questioned. It wasn't like anybody was ever going to find them up here in the first place, let-alone actually search for them.

"I think the question is if you're going to stay in this rather comfortable position all day." Blake happily mused. Jaune pondered the thought for a moment. It came down to the decision of '_do I care, or not?_,' which he solved when he got to his feet.

Blake frowned at the missing presence of Jaune, actually wishing he'd stay and keep her company. All of this in one day. '_What's the world coming to?'_

"I'll get some snacks." He chirped, bringing a happy grin to Blake's face. Moving with a slow hurriedness, he began his trip down to the cafeteria. The conversation with Blake began playing over and over in her mind.

She just realized that Jaune hasn't been part of her life for that long. He went from savior, to friend, then to best friend like Yang. It must have been all the emotion. _'I probably infected him'_ she thought. Blake started to feel mentally drained.

On his walk, the one thing that Jaune couldn't shake off was the cruel grin Blake had on her face when she talked about killing her parents' murderer. The way her eyes darkened and glistened with a bloodlust and euphoria like no other. It was nearly impossible to say that she would not have lost herself if he were not there.

He knew deep down that there was much more to the story than Blake had actually revealed, but he feared how Blake could've reacted to his accusations and questions. There was _much_ more than meets the eye when it came to Blake, but her looks were quite as killer as her mind was. Jaune shook his head. _'Get you head straight, Jaune.'_

Never before that day, had Jaune seen a girl with more beauty than Blake. Sure, Yang was attractive, out-going, and all that, but when it came to Blake, he struggled not to take his eyes off of her.

As he saw firsthand, her eyes were the most radiant amber eyes he had ever seen. While there was a deep story, and practical battle inside of them, that could never take away the fact her eyes were simply _mesmerizing_.

Her hair was more elegant that he'd expect of someone like Blake's age. It was a luxurious ebony, that reflected light in such elegancy, he'd nearly mistaken her for royalty, which wasn't a bad thing either.

It was rather one of the more subtle things, but she wasn't far from Yang when it came to the...

_'Extra feminine areas.'_

Not that there was anything wrong with that, anyways. Jaune noticed how shallow he might be sounding _'She still needs my help.' _

Speaking of Yang, he'd spotted the familiar blonde wandering the halls. Staying off her radar would definitely be a more preferred option. He'd respect Blake and her decision not to approach Ozpin or Yang yet. If it wasn't something she wasn't comfortable about, there was no need to reinforce the issue.

There was a story to Blake Belladonna, and he'd sure as hell learn it from cover-to-cover. Not just reading the back flap and say he read it.

Blake lay on the couch, her eyes closed, enjoying being on the brink of sleep. She hadn't realized how tired she actually was. Unsure whether it was the partly restless

night she had, or due to the near-mental breakdown from earlier, it was definitely catching up to her now.

Her thoughts drifted back to Jaune, the sweet boy that had walked her through her trip down memory lane. There wasn't much that Jaune didn't put out in the open that wasn't obvious. In fact, the only puzzling thing about him was his easy acceptance of her killing a person. Not even her "Uncle" Qrow took it that easy- and he was a combat-hardened Special Forces Operator.

Jaune was quite the interesting character, despite the tiny quirks. Then again, everybody has their own quirks and issues. Something like that couldn't change her opinion on him. He treated her like she'd always want to treated, and she couldn't ask for anything more. Maybe if there were more people like him in the world, things wouldn't be as bad as they were.

_'I hope the good looks carry over to those other people...'_ Blake thought, her femininity showing its true colors. She stopped breathing, with an abrupt halt to the cycle.

Did she think what she just really thought? She felt her cheeks rush with red.

There wasn't anything wrong with thinking like that, especially for girl of her age. In fact, she never had found anyone at school physically attractive, if she put aside how they treated her. Jaune was much different. There wasn't an exact way to put it, but the way he carried himself alone set him aside from the others. He was an extremely interesting person, and especially friendly.

Feeling herself begin to squirm, she remembered to breathe in, filling her lungs with the much forgotten oxygen that was needed. Dying from forgetting to breathe sounded like one of the stupidest ways to die. Slightly funny, but still stupid.

She closed her eyes, now slightly more at peace. Her thoughts wandered for a while. Jaune was one of the more particularly dominant thoughts, but it helped put her troubled mind at ease. Her breathing slowed, and she felt herself hang on the edge of consciousness. A short nap before Jaune got back could never hurt.

Jaune had successfully retrieved his desired snacks, which were a couple large bags of _Doritos_, and other odds ends, including a few cans of _Dr_ _Pepper. _He started making his way back to the hidden away cove back to the auditorium, which was an ingenious discovery on Blake's part. He skipped every other step, gracefully making his way up the darkened staircase.

He walked over to couch, and found a priceless sight. Blake had fallen asleep, out cold. He couldn't help but stare at her fragile-looking frame- the steady rise and fall of her chest with every breath she took, or the slight gape in her mouth, no bigger than something the size of an earbud. He marveled at her peacefulness- daring not to wake her. She curled up and started to nibble the edge of her knuckle. She looked like a balled up cat.

He quietly set the snacks on the floor, and gently took his seat back on the couch. He looked down next to him, eyeing Blake's cat ears. He looked away, not even daring to consider that. He snuck another glance, but quickly bit his lip and turned away. He held himself in restraint as best he could, but eventually, his will broke, and he slowly brought a hand to Blake's cat ear. He gently rubbed the extremely soft appendage with the back of his hand.

He felt Blake huff in happiness, a smiling growing on her heavenly face. Leaning his head into the back of the sofa, resting his free right arm along the length of it, and closed his eyes. He absent-mindedly continued to stroke Blake's ear with the utmost care, feeling a drowsiness build up inside himself. He slept well the previous night, and wasn't tired by any means- but, the drowsiness still was there. He yawned silently as he turned to look at Blake's face again.

He didn't know why he felt drowsy. Not tired, but drowsy. Maybe it was just the peacefulness and calmness in the air that relaxed his mind. Maybe it was Blake. Maybe it was both. Whatever the case was, a short nap wasn't quite uncalled for at the moment. Nobody could ever find them up here, so he knew Blake was safe.

All the reason to take a short nap.

Blake slightly stirred in her sleep, her senses becoming familiar to the realm of reality once more. She felt an awkward feeling on her head, or rather the side of it. She turned her head slightly to the right, surprised at the sight of a passed-out Jaune comfortably dozing next to her.

As to what the strange feeling on the side of her head was, it was Jaune's warm hand holding her head in a caressing, yet protective manner. He was holding her close, his chin practically resting atop her head. She smiled to herself, allowing herself to lean back into Jaune's caring protection. She'd decided to wait until Jaune woke up instead of just shaking him awake. He had the courtesy to do so when she fell asleep, so it was only natural to return the favor.

Her eyes drifted to the large snacks on the floor, quickly ignoring their presence. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts ramble on. She figured she'd do so until Jaune woke up, which, hopefully was soon. It wasn't that she minded the current situation, it was just her inability to sit still while doing nothing for extended periods of time.

Letting the smile grace her face once more, she comfortably snuggled herself in Jaune's arms. Because of her Faunus side, Blake didn't mind to let herself enjoy the spoils of being a cat.

* * *

**Okay, okay, I know this chapter is super-short, but I felt like I needed to put SOMETHING out there. There was originally going to more to this chapter, but I thought I partially tie it up there, and start the next chapter from a different person's point of view, which was what half of this chapter was going to be from.**

**Anyways, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Let's strive for 7 reviews for this chapter! Thanks for all the follow and favorites, and I'll be back soon! Thanks for the continued support!**


	3. Reclaim the Broken Princess

**Hello, everyone! This update got out a little late, mostly due to school, and my laziness to start a chapter off. I'm going to introduce an aforementioned character from chapter 1, with some plot twists.**

**Now, for all your Lunar Eclipse shippers out there, and want to take my Jaune and Blake, and mash them together screaming "NOW KISS!", I'm sorry to say that won't be happening too soon, but the romance WILL start. I'm going to get a build in character relation with Blake and someone else today, so next chapter will be the start of it.**

**Also, I'm loving the Jaune x Weiss pairing. My favorite one right now is "Hero of the Everyman" written by the talented "The hotdog man" go give him some support!**

**Audience: *Raises guns at Operator Blake* "Finish this long ass A/N"**

**Me: *Pulls out tactical knife with a bipod* *Bipod squeaks and creaks while it swings on the bottom of knife***

**"Don't make me start operatin' on y'all."**

* * *

_Blake slightly stirred in her sleep, her senses becoming familiar to the realm of reality once more. She felt an awkward feeling on her head, or rather the side of it. She turned her head slightly to the right, surprised at the sight of a passed-out Jaune comfortably dozing next to her._

_As to what the strange feeling on the side of her head was, it was Jaune's warm hand holding her head in a caressing, yet protective manner. He was holding her close, his chin practically resting atop her head. She smiled to herself, allowing herself to lean back into Jaune's caring protection. She'd decided to wait until Jaune woke up instead of just shaking him awake. He had the courtesy to do so when she fell asleep, so it was only natural to return the favor._

_Her eyes drifted to the large snacks on the floor, quickly ignoring their presence. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts ramble on. She figured she'd do so until Jaune woke up, which, hopefully was soon. It wasn't that she minded the current situation, it was just her inability to sit still while doing nothing for extended periods of time._

_Letting the smile grace her face once more, she comfortably rested in Jaune's arms._

* * *

Blake felt her sleeping companion stir next to her. She looked up to his gentle face, his eyes slightly fluttering. He groaned, opening his eyes, thankful the area was dimly lit. The sun that day was battered by the occasional cloud. Looking down towards his Faunus company, he made eye contact with the amber eyes he was so accustomed to. Relief washed over him when he saw that her eyes no longer held any torment, a simpleness invoked within them.

A loud click followed by the sound of heels clacking on the stairway echoed throughout the large balcony. Jaune quickly moved down, laying on his side, pulling Blake up to his chin. He wrapped his arm around the upper part of Blake's curvy waist, pulling her even closer to him. He had cleverly done this so that both their backs were to the couch, allowing them to see anything that happened.

Blake felt the heat radiating from Jaune, and more closely, but not by a large margin, her cheeks when he pulled her body up close to his. Her mind couldn't help but think of her smut book, which was no where to be seen. In her memory, the man had his souls come to a bitter agreement to speak the girl in the book. It was calm moment that Blake loved in the story. These thoughts vanished when the sound of the clacking got much closer, nearly to the top of the stairs.

Blake did her best to suppress her gasp when she saw who it was that intruded upon her cove. White jeans glued to her extremely petite frame, showing off how unfortunately skinny her legs were. A brazen dark-blue full sleeved shirt a size or two hung on her shoulders, letting the sleeves show off how petite her arms were. Her hair waved as the light brightened as the clouds pass in front of the sun.

Her downcast cerulean eyes were slightly covered by her regal white hair. It was more of a washed-out platinum blonde, but the light in the room had shown off it in phosphorescent way. It was tied in an off-set ponytail that cascaded to her hips. A small pink scar trailed her left eye, the bottom half of her scar centered with her left eye, the upper part straight, but off-course to the left.

She didn't seem to notice the company in the room, so she continued to trudge herself along to a randomly placed plastic chair. She seemed crestfallen, obviously saddened at something implacable.

Blake had known this girl well. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. A company that relied heavily on underpaid Faunus labor, with extremely poor safety regulations. Blake was much smarter than this, though. She knew Weiss never had a say on working conditions, wages, or equality treatments. Her father was a very strict man. She never left the house unless it was for a family social-standing event, or for school.

Blake sensed that maybe, Weiss was also trapped in her own personal hell as well.

This led her to be some stuck-up, arrogant bitch at school, as most people said, only sticking to a specific set of social cliques. Blake saw past the facade though- she always had. She saw past that, and into what was really there.

_Loneliness_

She'd been kept up all her life in some mansion, and had to act the part of a person she never wanted to be. She was bombarded to play part of some image to the public. To be nothing more than a tool to her father's desires and ambitions. It was obvious that she never willed to be part of it.

As Jaune and Blake visibly saw it, her body had paid the toll for it as well. If she lost any more weight, she could become anorexic- if not anorexic, medically ill.

She focused her attention back on the heiress, who began to reach into her pocket. It was too small to make out from her current position, but whatever it was, it had been small and compact. Blake had a better idea of what the object was when Weiss rolled up her left sleeve- something Blake noticed just now. She had always worn long-sleeved shirts, even in gym. She could _feel_ Jaune close his eyes and physically turn his head away. Blake peered on, spectating the numerous small scars that criss-crossed Weiss's wrist and arm. Some were pink-sh and healed. Some were wide and creviced. Some were scabbed, meaning, they were _recent_.

Blake clearly saw what it was Weiss had in her pocket. A small, metallic razor blade. A cloud blocked out the sun to light the room. It was dark, but Blake could see clearly. Her amber eyes followed the path it took, slowly falling towards Weiss's pale arm. Blake shot out of Jaune's grip, standing up in front of the couch. Weiss turned her head from the noise. It startled her a bit.

"Don't do it!"

Weiss dropped the small blade in surprise, it clattered and laid on the floor. She stared in shock at Blake, who continued to approach her. Her face contorted in fake disgust.

"What are you doing here, you filit-"

"Cut the charade!" Blake cut the young heiress off from her usual quips. "Enough of your games, Weiss! Quit acting like your father wants you to, and life your damn life the way you want to!" Blake loudly spoke, freezing the petite girl dead in her tracks. She had said more than she intended to- much more. Blake reeled herself back. That was much more than she hoped to communicate with Weiss.

Weiss absentmindedly let her hand ghost the scar that trailed across her eye. She mirthlessly laughed, more of a devoid chuckle, and turned her focus back to Blake. This was Weiss' hiding place when she felt the world become too much for her. Here no one shadowed over her shoulder. A place to let out that pent up emotion. Who would want to talk to the wealth spoiled child, who was nothing more than a tool in marriage.

That was her future. Her father made it clear to her when she was little. No searching for oneself. Just serve the family and don't look bad. It made everything she did seem mundane. No hobby could be had without being shamed for it by her family.

She just couldn't act the same way as her sister.

Weiss removed her hand, showing the small tears that dripped to the floor.

"You understand, don't you? You always did, I should say. Right?" Weiss leaned down to pick up her razor.

Blake nodded, and walked Weiss over to the couch while speaking comforting words to her. How could she summon the words to give someone else's life meaning? So Blake started by talking a calm tone.

Jaune now sat upright on the couch now. He slid over, making room for the "talk" that was about to happen. It hadn't been that difficult for Jaune to pick up on the current situation. Weiss had been a puppet to her father, and on the inside, she was broken. She didn't have any friends, let alone _anyone_ to talk to. Blake had stuck her neck out on a whim with this one, and so he could only pray that it had a positive effect with Weiss. She never truly showed it before now, but Blake was actually a very caring person on the inside. He eased all of his doubts when he saw Weiss crying on Blake's shoulder.

This meeting may have gone differently had Blake not been able to vent earlier.

Jaune had listened intently on the conversation between the two girls. Weiss had freely, and quite happily vented out her frustrations at the two. Everything from her eye scar, to her body, and to her other scars. She'd spoken about her cuts- something she said she did every time her father hit her. If Blake hadn't had stopped her, she would've been cutting herself over every bad name she was taunted with.

She talked about how she wanted to get away from her life. Abandon the family, the money- everything. She wanted to pack up and move out, but she didn't have anywhere to go. She'd never trust her un-loyal relatives, who'd turn her in for money in a heartbeat.

Jaune nearly jumped in surprise for the shocking couple of words Blake had spoken.

"You can always move in with me, if you wanted to," Blake soberly spoke. Weiss' eyes double in size. She immediately threw her small arms around Blake, who returned the hug. Blake hadn't properly thought this endeavor out, but it was something Weiss desperately needed. Now, that had been quite the generous offer from Blake. Jaune could only wonder why she would let Weiss move in with her. He pondered on how long the two were on ends with each other until today.

Jaune looked at Blake's crooked, and very sheepish smile. Weiss had been repeating "Thank you!" A million times a minute. Jaune smiled and gave Blake a thumbs up- she had definitely done the generous thing. He pondered the reasoning in deep thought. Referring to Weiss's story, she'd most likely end up starving to death, or killing herself- and that was mildly putting it.

Blake probably saved this girl's life. In the long run, this would definitely pay off. Weiss had someone to turn to. The light of the sun gleamed into the room. Melting the cold heart of Weiss. She felt the warmth of someone that wanted to help her. Not some servant that was told to remind her of her duty to the Schnee name. Weiss' eyes began to well up.

Jaune decided to make his presence known, when he gently tapped Weiss on her shoulder.

"Weiss, if you'd like, we can start moving some of your stuff now. I'm sure nobody would notice a couple of students missing from classes today." Jaune said, a brightened grin etched on his face. Weiss cracked a rare- yet small smile.

"That's quite alright. All my essentials are already in a couple of boxes in my closet. I'll just tell someone to bring them over. I've been waiting to jump on this scheme of mine until I found a place to actually _live_ in." Weiss explained, setting Jaune at ease. Truth be told, he was quite scared of what would've happened if they were caught. Lawsuits weren't a priority on his agenda. Frankly, they weren't on any part of his agenda at all.

_'Screw you, brain.' _Jaune chuckled to himself.

"So then... Are we just going to camp out up here for the rest of our lives? Chances are, Yang's already scouring this building top to bottom, and Sun wouldn't be far. Monkey see, monkey do, y'know." Jaune said, not catching his very own joke. Typical.

Blake and Weiss giggled. Apparently, Weiss had known who Sun was as well- then again, it wasn't very hard to miss a half-naked monkey. He prayed for whichever poor soul who would miss this.

"Wait a minute..." Weiss began, closely scrutinizing Jaune. "Aren't you the guy who knocked Cardin out?"

Jaune sighed to himself, looking away from Weiss. "Guilty as charged..." He quietly spoke. Weiss, with much satisfaction let out a "hmph", muttering some incoherent words. Jaune laughed to himself in relief, scratching the back of his head.

Everyone's head turned in unison as multiple pairs of footsteps were heard.

"Well déjà vu..." Blake muttered to herself.

Jaune had been perceptive in guessing that Sun and Yang had scoured the school building up and down, crevice to crevice. Their faces were red and flushed, and beads of sweat trickled down their brows. Yang's hair looked to be a bit frilly at the ends.

"I've found you Blakey... You and your little harem." Yang sadistically said, moving towards the occupied couch with even steps. Blake prepared to bolt at a moments notice, but Sun beat her to it, pulling Yang back by her shoulder.

"Easy there, raging hormones. Forgive and forget on this one. Don't bring it up." Sun calmly said to Yang, his physical condition betraying his voice. Yang hung her head low, before sitting on the floor in front of the couch, and soon after laying back on the ground with a loud "thud". Sun followed in suit, flopping down right next to Yang. They set themselves on a bit of overdrive. Best well, both Yang and Sun's best friends up and ran off. To find them all relaxed in an isolated room. Go figure.

Everyone's heads turned to the damnéd stairs for the fourth time that morning.

"What the hell!" Jaune said, throwing his arms up in the air, while falling back into the soft cushions of the couch.

A boy no older than seventeen walked up to the social gathering, a large pizza box balanced on his one hand. He had fairly tan skin, having dark blue eyes and messy light blue hair that was shaved on the sides and in the back, from what everyone could make out.

He wore a white dress shirt and black tie under a red jacket with a wide, upturned, black collar and a pair of gray jeans with black padding strapped to the sides. Said jacket had a white trident sown into the fabric on the back or it.

He wore black shoes that are fastened with straps, rather than laces. The most notable accessories, or most awkward ones were black fingerless gloves and a pair of yellow-tinted goggles worn on his forehead.

Sun turned his head towards the boy, hungrily eyeing the box of steamy pizza. "Oh, Neptune, you brought pizza." Neptune took a brief step back, placing the box on a small end-table next to the couch. He slowly backed away while keeping in eye-contact with Sun.

Neptune walked over to Sun, and sat criss-crossed next to him. He sent a wink and sly smile Blake's way, who rolled her eyes in return. Jaune clicked his tongue in annoyance, but was nonetheless happy with Blake's response. He wasn't entirely sure why that small act bothered him. He gave up pondering the thought, and turned his attention back towards the small gather of friends.

He looked to Weiss, who remained dead silent the whole time. A mouse could learn a thing or two from her. She visibly didn't show any signs of discomfort. Her eyes didn't hold steadfast to her body language. He saw it in her still crestfallen eyes. She was nervous and frightened. He leaned closer to Weiss, whispering in her ear.

"Be who you want to be," Jaune spoke with a comfortingly strong voice. She looked over to him, and gave a sheepish crooked mouth- the closest she could get to a grin or smile. Jaune quietly laughed at her noble attempt. She glared at him then rolled her eyes.

With a moment of hesitation, Weiss pulled the red band that held her pristine ponytail together, haphazardly throwing it behind her. She shook her now free hair out, running her fingers through its length. She sighed with content, casually leaning back into the chair. She peered back towards Jaune, who gave her a subtle smile and thumbs-up.

Jaune looked at the group of people in front of him. It was definitely going to be an interesting year. He looked over to the more-than-tempting pizza box.

"So, who wants pizza?"

* * *

**Hello everyone! I'm back again with another short little chapter. Thanks to all the follow/favs! You guys have made this my second most popular story, compared to "Avengers" which is in first. Gg, m8s.**

**Anyways, I apologize if I didn't respond to any reviews. I try my best to, but sometimes I get tripped up and skip a person.**

**Let's hit 25 reviews this week!**


	4. Reclaim Operation Neptune Spear

**So, believe it or not guys, but this is actually my second most popular fic. It's also the fastest growing one I've ever had!**

**Updates may be a little slower, because I've lately been fawning over Jaune x Weiss, and I have this huge thing planned. I'm restricting myself, though. I'm not going to start that whatsoever until I break 20k words on this.**

* * *

_He looked to Weiss, who remained dead silent the whole time. She visibly didn't show any signs of discomfort. Her eyes didn't hold steadfast to her body language. He saw it in her still crestfallen eyes. She was nervous- scared almost. He leaned closer to Weiss, whispering in her ear._

_"Be who you want to be," Jaune spoke with a comfortingly strong voice. She looked over to him, and gave a sheepish crooked mouth- the closest she could get to a grin or smile. Jaune quietly laughed at her noble attempt. She glared at him__ then__ roll__ed__ her eyes._

_She- with a moment of hesitation pulled the red band that held her pristine ponytail together, haphazardly throwing it behind her. She shook her now free hair out, running her fingers through its length. She sighed with content, casually leaning back into the chair. She peered back towards Jaune, who gave her a subtle smile and thumbs-up._

_Jaune looked at the group of people in front of him. It was definitely going to be an interesting year. He looked over to the more-than-tempting pizza box._

_"So, who wants pizza?"_

* * *

The ensemble of friends had thoroughly enjoyed the box of pizza, still trying to savor the now-missing cheesy goodness. Yang had went off on a strew of curses when Sun stole the last slice of pizza from her, effectively robbing her of her second piece. She refrained from any racist remarks. She did it with Blake but she didn't want to risk it with Sun.

Everybody had been lounging around, happily sharing loud and boisterous laughs with each-other. Weiss had become well acclimated with everyone, who took her in with open arms. Her attitude did a complete 180- she had been extremely shy and hard to approach earlier, but now she was open as a book, nearly leading the laughter-filled room they were in as far enough that people couldn't hear.

Jaune and Blake smiled at the snow-haired girl, who currently was engrossed in one of Sun's tall-tales. Jaune looked to his best-friend. His eyes still held that far-off look. Nothing had ever been the same since back then...

Flashback, Jaune, age 14

* * *

_Jaune had just gotten home from another day at school. His eye was bruised, his ribs sore as could be__, and had his hand over his stomach. __It was common that he came home beaten up. Bullies would be bullies, nothing could ever change about that.__ It was his personal mission to try to put a stop to it._

_It was a surprise when he saw a Humvee parked in the back of his driveway. The only time that ever happened when his Uncle Qrow spent his few precious days off deployment with his family._

_He walked up to the front of the school bus, which gently rolled to a stop in front of his house. With a quick smile and nod the the bus driver, he jumped off the bus, and ran for the front door. With a great smile on his face, he rushed through the wooden door, not bothering to discard his shoes._

_He turned the corner into the living room, his smile growing tenfold at the sight of his Uncle Qrow sitting on the blue cloth couch. The mans slicked-back gray hair showed it's usual aging properties, as the man, still in uniform stood up to catch Jaune and a bear hug. His rough and curly beard irritated Jaune's forehead, but Jaune ignored that over the immense happiness he was feeling. "I__t's good to see you."_

_"It's great to see you, kiddo! Look at how big you've gotten! And no__t in the round way either.__" His uncle's gruff voice spoke with enthusiasm. Jaune was speechless. He hadn't seen his favorite uncle in over a year!_

_Jaune and Qrow moved to the dining room table, a beautiful oak oval, and sat across from each-other. Jaune looked around, but was surprised to find his parents were missing. It was peculiar. They'd usually been home around this time._

_Qrow's attitude and expression turned sober, as he took Jaune's hands into his own._

_"Jaune...your parents aren't going to be coming home tonight..." Qrow began._

_"That's alright. They'll get here soon!" Jaune spoke with the same amount of enthusiasm._

_"Jaune...your parents aren't going to be coming home anytime soon..." The older man continued, his mighty beard moving in conjunction with his jaw. Jaune had always mistaken him for a Muslim person sometimes, with the awesome beard he always had._

_"They sided with your grandfather, Jaune. They joined the Taliban..."_

_It was those words that had changed Jaune's life forever._

_"What do you mean__?__" The younger boy spoke, a reluctance backing his wavering words. His innocence beamed with every __word._

_"Your grandfather, by friendship, not blood, is a very wealthy Afghani. I believe you've met him once or twice. He's long-time business partner with your Father. They go way back to before you were born. Your grandfather holds a senior position in the Taliban, due to the huge amount of funding he provides them. He offered your parents all the money in the world if they sided and invested in him."_

_Jaune sat speechless, letting tears well up in his fragile eyes._

_"That's why I'm here, Jaune. I can't always watch you, so, I'm here to offer you something..."_

_"What, are you just going to ship me off to some damn foster home!" Jaune spoke in outrage._

_"No... Revenge..." Qrow began. Jaune perked up and listened intently._

_"I've already cleared it up with my commander. If you choose so, we'll let you start training as soon as next week. Three months of prep training, Nine weeks of Basic Underwater Demolition Training, Ten months of underwater, airborne, and advanced training, and then you'll be placed on a team. You'll be the youngest SEAL in the history of this country." _

"_This would normally be illegal, as you aren't even the legal age to join the military, let alone the SEALs, but it's nothing that dust-enhanced workout regiments can't fix. The prep training will get your physical abilities up to par with the average BUD/s graduate. The question is, Jaune… can you mentally handle it?_

_Qrow watched intently as he was Jaune weigh his options. This was __an__ultimatum__that would catch anyone off guard. __Jaune closed his eyes and __dug deep into his thoughts,__ and took a deep breath._

_"I'm in."_

Jaune's flashback warped to a year later, during his team assignment. His uncle Qrow sat in front of him at his desk, with a field stamped with _'confidential' _on it.

"I'm so proud of you, Jaune. You've pushed yourself farther than I thought you could have ever gone, and farther than I think you thought you could have ever gone. Given your specialized training, Command and I have decided on a most-suitable team for you." Qrow spoke with fondness, sliding the file over to Jaune. He opened it, and sputtered out his words.

"DEVGRU!? You want to throw me on SEAL Team Six without any actual experience!?"

"Look Jaune, we wouldn't normally do anything like this, but your training places you equal to the unit standards. I think you'll do fine anyways." Qrow reasoned. Jaune was apprehensive about the matter. Nobody went from training straight into _"The Unit"_ just like that. It was _unheard_ of.

Deep down, he was excited, though. There was a certain thrill to being put on such an elite team. Qrow was right, though. He was up to standards. His baby-fat had long since been gone- replaced by toned muscles through countless months and weeks of training. While he was only 15 now, his physique matched that of most current SEAL Operators.

His marksmanship had been remarkable as well. While he was no sniper, his accuracy with firearms was true and deadly. Jaune had been second-guessing himself too much lately. Qrow wouldn't have done this for him if he knew Jaune was ready for this. Casting all his doubt away, Jaune nodded to his uncle. Though he was part of the military, he still had to keep up with his education, but Jaune had the proper mindset. It was a breeze to do.

Jaune felt his mind lurch to one and-a-half years later. It was sometime past midnight. It had been dark that night. The moon didn't shine its usual luster, instead it was shadowed by the clouds of the Afghan desert. The silent hum of the ten million dollar Blackhawk was the only sound that Jaune could hear. He looked to his left, greeted by the familiar face of his friend Sun, an eighteen-year-old attachment from the 160th SOAR, better known as the Nightstalkers.

Jaune had known Sun for awhile now. They often worked together in joint-ops, often finding Sun flying the helicopter that provided medical evacuation. Tonight was an exception. Jaune forever remembered the date. September 11, 2012.

The date every Tier I and II Special Forces Unit had been ordered to reign hell upon a mountain. The mountain where Osama-Bin-Laden resided. The 75th Rangers had around 300 men securing the base of the mountain, with the Nightstalkers running helicopter transportations.

Delta Force and DEVGRU, were currently en-route, with some thirty or so operators ready to breach the compound, and kill Bin-Laden.

Jaune peeked out his window, feeling the mighty rumble of an AC-130 roar overhead of the stealth helicopter.

The pilots voice over the comms drew Jaune's attention back inside the helicopter. "ETA Two mikes, get prepped." Jaune did as instructed, inspecting his H&amp;K 416 Suppressed rifle. He tripled checked the bullets in his magazines, checked his comms, and lastly, his night-vision goggles.

He and Sun shared a thumbs-up; they were ready to go. Jaune looked to the two men from Delta Force in front of him, who gave them both thumbs-up. The helicopter quietly came to a hover, as Sun and one of the Delta members opened up the door, and secured the rappel ropes.

In less than thirty seconds, they were on the ground- a harsh shale and cut-up rock, mixed in with small forestry. The moon began to shine from the dark bank of the clouds, allowing them to actually see out of their night-vision goggles. Jaune hunkered down low, and swept the tree line back and forth, searching for any signs of movement.

Hearing the all clear, the four man team began to make their slow and cautious descent down the mountain. If everything went according to plan, the mountainside compound would be surrounded from all sides by DEVGRU and Delta Force.

Everything went downhill for Jaune at that point. All heads snapped to the sound of a branch breaking. Everyone halted, immediately going prone, hitting the dirt and fast and quietly as possible. A lone Taliban soldier with a flashlight strapped to his AK-47 walked through the forestry. He kept walking until he was nearly on top of Jaune, until he tripped over him.

Jaune's heart rate increased. Ha saw a small black device fall out of the man's hand.

A radio.

Jaune did the most logical thing at the time. He attempted to apprehend the man, but the man tripped Jaune as he rushed to stand up, and pushed him down the steep incline of the mountain. The last thing Jaune saw was a bullet entering and exiting through the man's head. The blood spurted out and as the body dropped to the floor.

Jaune viciously tumbled down the seventy degree incline of the mountain, the harsh shale digging last his uniform, shredding his skin. A blast of pain hit the back of Jaune's head- he had just crashed head first into a tree rolling down a mountain at well over 15 or 18mph. His body swung in the air, his head viciously crashing into another tree.

His stomach lurched as he fell off a 12 or 15 foot precipice. He couldn't tell what was up or down anymore. He kept rolling for another minute, thankfully avoiding more trees. His body lurched again as he saw what awaited him at the bottom of this drop.

Rocks.

And the Taliban.

He hit the rocks hard, his body bouncing off the rocks and down the mountain again. The Taliban- he couldn't count how many there were, opened fire on him. He felt wearing pain shoot into his right arm, and two more pangs against his plate carrier.

He heard their cries of laughter as he slowly rolled to a near stop, before the distinctive sound of an RPG being fired dawned on him. It exploded close to him- He could tell as a large piece of shrapnel impaled him in his left arm. The shockwave sent him rolling again, followed by the cheers of the Taliban.

His leg smashed into a wide, bulky tree, sending Jaune spinning once again. With the added horizontal spin, Jaune's head crashed into another tree.

The world went black after that.

Jaune kept his labored breaths under control, trying to remain calm. He looked around him. Everyone was still chatting happily. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Jaune did his best to calm himself after his PTSD attack.

He didn't want to remember the other half of the battle.

Shaking his head, escaping those memories, Jaune focused back to the present, trying to stay focused on anything to keep his memories suppressed. He looked next to him, staring and Blake's soft and gentle face. She looked over to him, giving a small smile. He wearily smiled back, sinking back into the corner of the couch.

Blake began to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of the bell. Jaune rested a quick hand on her shoulder, before rushing off to his next class. He ignored the confused looks he got, only focused on the sole task of getting to his next class.

He regretted getting to class so early. Professor Port's lecture was driving Jaune into the welcoming clutches of sleep. He had slept very well the night before, but this man was _begging_ for him to sleep.

He looked over to Blake, whose head was already on the desk next to his. Her eyes gently fluttered for awhile. Jaune stared at her fragile frame. Her jacket clung to her body, hugging the wonderful curves of her hips. It was last thing he thought about before returning to the battlefield.

His muscles burned, he couldn't feel his legs, his head was profusely bleeding, and he had nearly lost his rifle. He slowly reached for his radio that was clipped to the lower collar of his plate carrier. He thanked every divine being when he found it in working condition.

"Spartan 1-3 to Bravo Actual." Jaune hoarsely said. There was no way Sun or his squad would ever get to him. He had fallen halfway down the mountain, almost past where the Rangers had secured.

"This is Bravo Actual, go ahead Spartan 1-3." The reply came.

"I need immediate medical exfil... I'm somewhere to your east." Jaune said, coughing in-between most of his words.

"Solid copy. We saw that tumble. Echo squad will be on your whiskey in less than a mike."

"Roger that." Jaune choked out before turning his head to the sound of branches viciously snapping.

He laid there, flat on his back, gazing upon the desert stars, his breath coming out in heavy heaves and wheezes. His uniform was bloodied, cut up by the sharp shale stones from his mighty long fall down the mountain. Dirt stained his face, thankfully staying out of his eyes for the most part.

Jaune peered to his right. The sun was just starting to break the horizon, its light blazing its way through the low-density forest. He focused his now bleary vision back to the sky, now streaked a beautiful red.

The hurried footsteps got closer, nearly ten feet away from Jaune, who still lay there, broken and battered. Jaune heard the familiar sound of combat boots hitting the dirt, and was relieved when he saw the medic hover over him. He had a short, scraggly beard, and his night vision was off.

The medic rested a hand on Jaune's shoulder, chuckling over something that sounded like _"You're a bouncy ball, ya little bastard." _

With a serious look in the medic's eyes, his grip firmed on Jaune's shoulder, and hovered a respectable distance away from Jaune's face, effectively blocking out the sky and the beautiful sunrise gracing it.

"You're going to be all right, brother."

Blake hadn't necessarily went to sleep, but more so dozed off. She looked over to Jaune, who was also asleep, if she could call it that. His feet were twitching on the floor, his hand trembling, and sweat running down his forehead.

She was a little worried- scared even. She'd never seen anyone have a nightmare, let alone one that affected someone's physical being. Blake gently tugged on Jaune's nylon hoodie, which was a little stretchy. Jaune didn't respond to her tug, so she rested her hand on his upper arm.

She widened her eyes in surprise. His muscles were _huge_. He was _tense_. Whatever he was thinking about, it was making _him_ scared, which made Blake scared in a way. Jaune had pretty much been a pillar so far. He faced Cardin square on, and boldly tackled her emotional problems without a second of hesitation.

So why couldn't she do the same?

She gently reached for his hand, grasping the shaking body part. She tenderly held it in her own, gently squeezing it. She could only hope that this would help Jaune. She didn't know what else she could possibly do to help him.

Jaune's eyes focused on the black ceiling of the HH-60G helicopter. He was fully aware of the two Pararescue soldiers desperately working to stop Jaune from bleeding out. He felt himself slip into unconsciousness, despite the protestant yells of the airborne medics.

He found himself falling, in a void of absolute nothingness. Just himself and the emptiness of this void. He'd always thought he'd die someday, but...this was just too soon. He never truly thought about death, because SEALs never reflect on that too much. But it always bugged him. Maybe it was because all the SEALs and himself expected the worst to happen.

He felt something tug on his sleeve. When he looked over, as he assumed, nothing was there.

And then he felt something tenderly hold his hand. When he looked to his hand, he didn't see anyone, or anything, but he felt it. He knew there was someone there. There was someone holding his hand. He could feel the warmth that emitted from it.

It felt so...

_Maternal..._

And then, all Jaune saw, was white.

Blake watched as Jaune's twitching and tenseness died away. His breathing became calm and even, while his reddened face began to return to its tanned pale color. She felt a squeeze on her hand.

Jaune had squeezed her hand back.

He heard her.

* * *

**I guarantee you NOBODY suspected this, whatsoever. I assure you though, this chapter was just a small filter to get my muse rolling again. Next chapter, for sure, I'll add a little smidgen of Jaune x Blake, to keep y'all happy. Anyways, let's try to hit 50 reviews!**


	5. Reclaim My Broken Mind

**Hello everybody, I'm back with another update! Congrats to me on breaking 20k words! Also, I've decided to switch to a 1st person point of view for this chapter, seeing it's much easier and better for me to write this way. Let me know what you guys think in the reviews!**

* * *

_Blake watched as Jaune's twitching and tenseness died away. His breathing became calm and even, while his reddened face began to return to its tanned pale color. She felt a squeeze on her hand._

_Jaune had squeezed her hand back._

_He heard her._

* * *

I wasn't sure what exactly I was thinking when I grabbed Jaune's hand. I just moved on impulse, letting my body do its own thing. Then again, Jaune was a friend, or so I had hoped- it was the least I could've done. Though what had really startled me was how tense he had been. His muscles on his arm were _huge_, and that was just with me feeling through his hoodie.

I was relieved when he woke up though. He still lightly held onto my hand, using his free arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead with his hoodie sleeve.

I backtracked my mind about Jaune. The mysterious new kid that I ended up cuddling with on his first day, and our first day of meeting. He had made a rather good first impression with everyone though, which had made me happy. He first came across as a no-bullshit type of guy, which I heard firsthand with Cardin.

What surprised me is when he took the extra step, the leap of faith to hold me and walk me through the school, when Yang obviously went to reach for me. He took that leap of faith on the couch, getting pretty close with me.

He was quite courageous, and honestly, an interesting character to me. I would definitely have to get to know him better. Especially since this little panic attack of his in class right now, which reminded me, he was still holding my hand. I rolled my eyes and smiled to myself. How could he seriously be sleeping when he literally just took a nap a little while ago? Then again, I myself was falling asleep at this point. Professor Port was rambling on about history, and as usual, nobody was listening.

I looked back over to my blond haired companion, whose eyes were now open. He was drumming a quiet pattern on his desk, while keeping himself zoned out. I felt something tickle my palm, I looked to Jaune, who indeed, was ticking my palm, right near the wrist. I stifled a small giggle, and gently kicked him in his shin. He gave me mischievous grin, and I couldn't help but think he was just being a little shit. I smiled anyways, though, something I found myself doing a lot lately. I guess positive company made for a positive attitude. I suddenly let out a small squeal- Jaune had poked me in the side. I returned it with a small kick to the back of his leg, which actually bounced my dainty foot back a little.

Damn him and his weird hidden muscles! I overlooked the fact that I was actually happy, seeing that Jaune was out of that panicky state of his. I hardly knew him on a personal basis, aside from us sharing the story about our parents, though, he was a little more clandestine and on the D.L than I was, I sheepishly thought. I could still tell that something like this wasn't a normal occurrence, even for him. I'd have to press him on the matter later on that was another thing for sure.

My thoughts were drawn back to reality when Professor Port's loud voice boomed in my ears, even though he was well over ten feet away.

"Mr. Arc, if you're to believe that you're so well-acquainted with the modern day affairs we are talking about, why don't you talk to us about the war in the Middle East?"

I watched Jaune intently. He glared at Port for a moment, taking me by complete surprise. I could tell he didn't want to talk, but I didn't know why.

"I'll pass." Jaune remarked, making fierce eye-contact with the professor, who begrudgingly backed down from his challenge. He turned to Cardin- who had his face bandaged and wrapped, and proposed the same question.

"I think it's just a bunch of crap. Our soldiers go over there and die, all for nothing. It's pathetic."

I jumped back in surprise, nearly falling out of my seat when Jaune slammed his fist on the deck, and nearly flipped it over. He walked straight out of the classroom, using more force than necessary to open the door. The whole class stared at the door for a moment, before they had turned their attention back to Professor Port, who looked as bewildered as everyone else was, including myself. So far, Jaune's first impressions had been pretty terrible.

I thought about it in more detail. It was as soon as Cardin said that, Jaune was up and gone. In less than five seconds, just like that. It didn't take Port long to continue on his long ramble again. Thankfully, he was cut short by the bell. I collected my things, which was only my backpack and helmet (because I never trusted my locker) and made my way to my next class. We had a "recess" period, which was just a fifteen minute little relax time, in my opinion.

Nevertheless, I headed to the locker room, to get changed early for gym. I usually was the first one there. Sometimes there would be a few other girls from my class, who I was on friendly terms with. Case and point Yang was one, as well as another good friend, Nora Valkyrie. She was quite the astatic person, always bouncing around. Her best friend, Lie Ren, or "Ren" as he very much preferred, was always, or mostly, around, keeping her excessive energy in check.

They weren't here yet, so I headed through the side-hallway at the back of the locker room and up the steep steps to the eighty-yard football field. The school lay to the left of the football field, its ugly beige bricks pronouncing the building's presence. On the right, tall bleachers, with a small box office, or so I had called it rested atop the bleachers. I honestly had no clue what it really was, nor did I care.

As always, we probably were going to play two-hand touch football with the boys. Of course it was always tackle when it came to me. I didn't really care, my body was hardened to these sorts of things by now. As Yang's little sister always called me, I was _"one tough cookie"_. I was pretty fast on my feet, too. Some of the boys had trouble keeping up with me, which I didn't laugh or tease them about. Some people weren't made for running.

There was this one quiet boy, Sage. He was around 6", and decently built. He was decent at football and gym sports, but he couldn't run for long periods of time. He was very quiet and usually kept to himself, and his friend Yatsuhashi, a Japanese exchange student.

Nobody really knew that Sage was a famous Twitch livestreamer. He had some couple thousand subscribers, which meant people paid monthly to "subscribe" to him. It was like the same process as YouTube, but paying for it. Last time I checked, which was last night, he had some 2 million total views. Then again, he was quite the beast at games like Battlefield and Destiny. I hung out with him on some occasions, so he was actually one of my better friends.

I'd sometimes go play games with him at his house, or just hang around with him and Yatsuhashi, who was also a really cool guy. He was very tall, 7', in fact which was even taller than our coffee-crazed professor, Oobleck, who was a solid 6'7 himself. Yatsu, as his few friends call him for short, was a very quiet guy. Then again, the Japanese culture was like that. Traditionally, the culture is very respectful and quiet, or so Yatsu had put it.

There was still around 10 minutes before recess itself ended, so I decided to lounge around on the bleachers until someone else showed up. I looked over by the small maintenance garage that stood in front of the stairway to the locker room. It was a very strange place to put a maintenance garage, but it is what it is.

I checked back again, and this time saw Jaune walking out of the locker room. He had a long-sleeved nylon shirt on, which I only assumed as an UnderArmor shirt. He wore some blue sweatpants as well, which peaked my curiosity. The sun was out so I would've suspected he'd wear something a little more... _accommodating_ to the weather. As he got closer, I saw the sweatpants were a little bit more form-fitting, and fleece, which meant they were a little more breathable.

He walked over, and took a seat on the ground in front of me, giving me a cheeky smile, which I returned with a small smile of my own.

"Aren't you hot in that?" I asked. He formed a one sided smile on his face, scrunched his eyebrows over his eyes ever-so-slightly, and shook his head.

I tolerated the heat decently, but even in my shorts and red Beacon t-shirt, I still felt the sun beating on me. It didn't help that my hair was darker than night, either. I usually sat out of the games, mostly because I was thrown out as a never substituted substitute.

"I'm not too big on gym, so I'll sit out." Jaune said. I nodded in agreement. "I mean, nobody's going to stop me anyways." He finished with a chuckle.

I snorted. "You've got that right. Though, your attitude suggests you resist all form of authority and power in this school." I commented with a smirk.

"Mmm... Yeah, you've pretty much got it down." He hummed.

I rolled my eyes at his predicted response. "So why do you want to sit gym out? From what I felt earlier, you're more than qualified to do well." I said. I opened my eyes wide in realization of what I said. Before I could stutter out whatever nonsense I was about to blabber out, he laughed.

"I'm too lazy. Don't feel like running around for two-hand touch. If it was tackle, maybe." He said.

I raised my eyebrow at him. "So, you're too lazy to lay a hand on someone, but you're not too lazy to tackle someone. Okay then."

"I think the question is why _you_ aren't participating. You can run pretty damn fast." He said, turning the question back on me.

"I don't feel like getting tackled by big sweaty brutes. I can run and all, but I'm not in the mood for that today." I answered.

"Well, what if I played on your team? I'll keep those big, mean and scary brutes off the fragile princess." He spoke, sarcasm just _oozing_ out between his teeth. I sighed and nodded my head in mock shame.

I looked back over by the door, and Jaune followed my line of sight. It was Sage and Yatsuhashi this time. Sage still had that green hair of his. He always argued that it was natural, but most people doubted it. Then again, Oobleck had green hair as well. Yatsuhashi towered over Sage, with his close-shave haircut. Sage smiled wide and waved at me, and I gave a less-enthused wave back.

They walked over, said their greetings, and we all sat together on the bleachers, waiting for the class to get out here. I turned behind me to get my backpack, and I pulled my phone out. I never left my backpack anywhere in this school- no matter what.

I began scrolling through my Facebook feed, ignoring the death threats and messages of _"kill yourself" _on my wall. I felt the phone get quickly taken out of my hand. I was about to yell in protest, but I saw Jaune lying down on the turf, scrolling through my own feed, and typing a thing here and there. I glared at him, but he brushed it off without even looking at me.

I looked over to Sage, who raised an amused eyebrow at me. I sent a glare his way, just as I had Jaune, but he brushed it aside with an amused smirk.

Great. Jaune took my phone, Sage is being a smart-ass, and Yatsu is busy being...

Yatsu...

I looked back by the hidden doors, yet again, and saw the large crowd of students flood out. I heard a loud yell of _"Hey cat-bitch!"_ before I looked up to see a football arcing strait towards me. Jaune shot up in an instant, with a good three seconds to spare before the football his me. He swatted it straight down into the bleached, where it bounced slightly. He looked back to me and tossed me my phone. I caught it, thankfully, (otherwise he'd be dead) and looked to see exactly what he was doing on my phone in the first place.

I saw his Facebook profile on my screen, and a blue check-mark next to the "friends" button. I checked my multitasking history, and saw only contacts were open. Go figure, he would do something like that.

He picked the football off the bleacher, and began walking towards Russel, the boy who had thrown the football at me. He was a decently-sized and built kid- He was on the football team after all. He had his back turned, talking with his friends, and I saw Jaune take some baby hops for a throw.

And with a hard snap, the ball shot out of his hand, covering a good thirty yards in three seconds, and nailed Russell in the head. I could just _feel_ Jaune's smirk from here. As I had thought, when he turned around to start the short walk back to us, the smirk was evident.

"Get the son of a bitch!" We heard Russell's command. Cardinal, Sky, and his friend Dove, as well as one other odd one person thrown in there started to run towards Jaune. He looked back and saw the speedy approach, and waved Yatsuhashi down, who was already standing, making his way towards Jaune.

Jaune took off in a dead sprint towards Russell, who was dead-center of the oncoming threat. I could tell Jaune was running faster than Russell- he had closed half the distance in half the time. I slightly flinched away when I saw the inevitable impact getting closer, but it never came.

Jaune went low, grabbing Russell by the waist, and with a mighty heave, threw him into the extra man. Cardin barreled into Jaune from the front, who grabbed the collar of Cardin's shirt, pulling him down with extra momentum. Jaune fell to the ground, throwing Cardin over him using his foot as extra leverage. Jaune rolled out of his fall, ready and back up on his feet.

Sky came up on his front, a right hook aimed at Jaune's face. Jaune leaned to the left, allowing Sky's fist to almost graze his face. Jaune's own right hand came through on the inside of Sky's hook, and grabbed the back of his neck with a flat hand. Jaune went low, and picked Sky's grounded leg up with his left hand, and with slight effort, threw Sky right past him.

There was a constant thought running through my mind at this point. It had been lurking around in the back of my mind for a while now, but now it was definitely on my full attention.

_'Just who are you, Jaune Arc?'_

The only attacker left, Dove, found new interest in his friends- which, to my humor, were still on the ground. Jaune ignored Trush, and continued back to the large crowd of slack-jawed students. I could hear his yelling from here. He was _livid_.

"If I see any one of you fuck-ups do something to that poor girl over there, _EVER_, I will do worse to you than I did those jokers! I promise you that not only I will beat the living and dead shit out of you, but you won't be lasting a day longer in this place! Are we clear, you retarded assholes!?" He screamed. I could tell from here his face was red with anger. Even my face was tinged with red with his sudden use of language.

Everyone stood speechless, while some nodded. He made a sharp turn on his heel, and began walking back towards me. His face was still slightly reddened by anger, but he became more lax after he took his spot back on the turf in front of us.

I don't know if Jaune had ever heard of the work subtlety, or covert, or secretive, because if he was trying to be any of the above, he was failing, miserably. It dawned upon me that he had just put himself out there- ready to be labeled as a Faunus lover and also subject to the same torment I had been through.

He had really stuck his neck out for me, but the prevailing question was _why?_ Why did he just go out there and say what he did? Why would he put himself out there at such a risk? I looked back over to Cardin and his limping friends.

He wasn't at risk. At least, not with the way those guys were handled. I smiled to myself. The perpetrators were at more risk than Jaune was, or so I could only hope.

A loud voice came over the PA system for the school.

"Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, Yatsuhashi, Sage, Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee, Neptune Vasilias, and Sun Wukong, please report to the conference room."

My eye twitched at the list of names. I saw Jaune's eye do the same, he most likely was having the same reaction that I was. I heard an over-exaggerated sigh from Sage, and a deep exhale from Yatsu. I threw my phone back in my bag before zipping it up and slinging it on my shoulders. We all walked as a group down to the locker rooms, and made our way up the two flights of stairs to the conference room.

Neptune went in first, followed by the rest of us. We all gathered around the one end of the table, while Ozpin sat by his lonesome at the other end. I shivered slightly- this room was way too air-conditioned for my liking. I heard Jaune snicker behind me, which promptly led my foot to his shin. He grunted is response, and I smirked to myself.

Ozpin held an impassive look on his face, and motioned for us to all sit down. We did as so, and took our seats in the plush leather office chairs.

"I'm sorry to do this to you all. The board and superintendent forced my hand in this." He paused, and sighed.

"Yatsuhashi and Sage, you both came in late to school today, and were seen with Miss Belladonna on the football field earlier. As for the rest of you, you were all seen skipping your first period classes, along with Miss Belladonna."

"Knowing the board and their hate of the Faunus, especially, and unfortunately for Blake, they've overruled me, and have suspended you all for five days.

Before Yang's shouts of protest were known to the world, Ozpin looked to Weiss, an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm very sorry Miss Schnee, but the board called your father. I wish I could've done som-"

"Don't worry about that arrogant prick. My stuff is already out. I'm long gone from him." Weiss said, her tone and demeanor of someone matching that of someone who always brushed things aside. Her choice of language caught everyone by surprise. Usually she was so poised and proper, but now, she was...

_Teenager..._

Ozpin let a small grin trace his lips, before looking back to the whole of us. His face gave a devious smirk- he was up to something.

"Seeing as how I had access to the school's funds, I've decided to send you all on an _educational_ field trip to the multicultural abode of Disneyland. I've already contacted your parents, who all swimmingly agreed. I'll just need Mr. Wukong and Arc's parent approval, and we're all set.

I looked across from me, and saw Jaune and Sun loose the grin that was on their faces. Sun looked to Jaune, who mumbled something incoherent to him. I was surprised my enhanced hearing didn't pick up on it. That was a first.

"Thank you Mr. Ozpin, but Jaune and I will decline. We'll just chill out at home." Sun said, his voice on the verge of cracking under pressure, or so I had assumed.

"Aww, come on spoilsports! Give the old man a call and come with-" Yang's cheery speech was cut short by Sun.

"I said we're staying here." Sun said, his voice edged in a more authoritarian manner. Yang smirked. Oh no, this was going to get bad. Yang never understood anything about boundaries. There was no way she could possibly start now.

"Why's that, scared of the big bad par-"

"Yeah, I'm scared of my dead parents!" Sun yelled. We all stared at him, excluding me. I knew staring would put him under pressure. I only wish everyone else knew that. While Faunus were part human, residual animal traits existed. In this case, Sun was getting defensive.

Jaune rested a hand on Sun's shoulder, doing his best to calm him down. Sun looked to Jaune, who stared him dead-on. Sun took a deep breath, and found new interest with the conference table.

Jaune leaned into Sun's ear, and whispered a few things. I tuned them out. It wasn't something I needed to hear. Sun sighed and nodded his head. Jaune smiled and slapped him on the shoulder, earning a grunt from Sun. Jaune turned to Ozpin.

"We'll come along, thank you." Jaune said with what I believed to be pleasantry. I could be wrong though- it didn't necessarily seem genuine. I shrugged the thought aside for now. Whatever the case was, at least Jaune and Sun would be joining us on our vacation. I suppose Ozpin really knew how to play his cards.

Ozpin smiled at all of us. He began to give us details of when our flight leaves- which was tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. He unfortunately had to hold us until our parents came, with the exclusion of Myself, Sun, and Jaune, who said his parents weren't going to be able to make it. Something about overseas business, he said.

I nearly forgot about Weiss. Ozpin saved her from the wrath of his father, in a rather amusing way. He decided that he "forgot" to call him due to his oh-so-busy schedule, and excused Weiss to head home with me. It was quite the struggle to get her on my bike, but reluctantly she agreed. Weiss had nearly cut off the circulation from my waist down with how tight she had been holding to me. I guess it was something I could tease her about later on.

When we finally reached the sweet sanctuary of my home, with my legs thankfully intact. Weiss was slightly shaking when she got off my bike, but she had wide smile on her face. I smiled to myself under the cover of my helmet, and slid off my bike. Weiss had informed me that the movers would be a little late, so we decided to go wait inside. I showed her around the house, showing her to her room, which was directly across from mine. I ended up having to calm her down- she was so overridden with emotion she nearly had a breakdown. I could understand her though, she never had anyone show here such an act of true kindness before.

I still don't understand entirely why I decided to spontaneously let her move in. We had never been on good terms, excluding today. I deduced that she must've been lonely. She was extremely emotionally distraught too, with what I had stopped her from doing this morning and all. I could only pray that it wasn't worse than what I had seen so far. I had really hoped her father wasn't abusive, seeing as how he was CEO of a powerful company. He _must_ have pent-up frustration. Many parents with power like that often abused their children out of frustration and rage.

Weiss had told me she wasn't brining much over. Just some old photos, her electronic equipment, school supplies, and some clothes that would last her. I complained that she was being overly-modest, and that there was no need for her to restrain herself in bringing her items over. She went on a rant saying that what I've done for her is more than enough, and that she refuses to intrude. I waved her down before she could continue her little rant.

The movers came in a small SUV, and quickly moved her meager possessions into her room. I still scolded her for that, but on the inside, I was happy for her. With all the emotion turmoil she's been through, it was good to see her usual protesting self back.

She excused herself to the shower, and I now sat on my couch in the living room, reading my _"infamous smut"_ as Yang called it. The book became less and less the focus of my attention- my mind kept wandering aimlessly. I had a lot to think about after today. Jaune, Sun, Yang, Weiss, the suspension, football field incident, and the whole panic attack with Jaune.

It was stressful, really.

These thoughts continued until I was shook out of them by Weiss, now clad in light-blue cotton pajama pants, and a baggy white t-shirt. I peeked over at the digital clock on the TV Stand. It read 10:32, which was decently late for me.

"I'm going to head to bed... Thanks again for everything..." She said, having trouble making eye-contact with me. I smiled and nodded at her. I was a little awkward at these kinds of things, so I couldn't find the right words to speak. She gave me a tiny grin, and disappeared around the corner to the stairway.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. My thoughts instantly went back today. My head just wouldn't stop swarming with these thoughts. It was driving me nuts.

I thought back to Yang's outburst on the roof today.

_'She must really hate you now...'_

I thought about myself running away from that.

_'What a coward, always running from your problems...'_

I thought about the balcony.

_'Jaune only came out of pity...'_

About Weiss.

_'Compared to her cutting, you're just a freak.'_

I didn't notice my tears.

I thought about the football field.

_'They don't want to be around you. They're just going to run away in the end, just like you always do.'_

The conference room.

_'Jaune and Sun didn't want to go because you were there, you cat-eared FREAK.'_

The voice kept taunting me like that, alluring my thoughts into despair. I felt like I had a thousand insults and depressive thoughts being thrown at me.

And just like every night, I would cry myself to sleep.

This time, I didn't want to sleep though. A part of me just wanted to sit there, and accept what the voice was saying in my head. The other part wanted me to let go and forget. That's exactly what I did. With tears stinging my eyes, I made my way towards the kitchen. I stood in front of the cherry-oak cupboards, and opened the one closest to me. I reached behind, to the furthest part of it, and felt the familiar texture of a paper bag.

I secured my hand around it, and walked back towards the couch, not bothering to shut the cupboard door. I dragged my feet to the couch, and sat on it. I reached inside the bag, and pulled out a tall and wide blue glass bottle. I ripped the cork off of it, and started to drink its contents. It burned my throat to no end. I could already feel the alcohol affecting me. I didn't care though. I just wanted to forget everything. I heaved the bottle up again, chugging another fiery chunk of the liquid.

Everyone had their own issues.

And everyone had their own poison.

My just happened to be alcohol.

I knew I had a low tolerance. I didn't care. I was about halfway through the bottle now, not even two minutes into my poison. I let myself go now, following the drunken thoughts of my mind. Knowing myself, I'd go get the other bottle.

Maybe I'd get poisoning. Maybe I'd kill myself. All to forget my problems. _It wasn't right_. _I knew it wasn't right_. Then again,

_Who cares?_

* * *

**Phew, this one was a biggie to write! Let's try and hit 75+ reviews this chapter! I take all feedback, no matter the sort, and reply to ALL REVIEWS! I also need to know if you guys want to stay in 1st person, or go back to 3rd.**


	6. Reclaim the Silence

_Hello everybody, I'm back again with another chapter! The first thing I want to talk about in my A/N is reviews._

_A lot of you continuously review every chapter, which is absolutely great. It's great to know what you guys constantly think as the story progresses. Your reviews are real motivation for me._

_For the people that don't review, but follow/fav my story, it's kind of disappointing. If I can take the extra minute or two at the end of every chapter __I __read, how come you guys can't do it? _

_Oh, and to the guest reviewer who talked about how there was no way Jaune could be a SEAL at his age, I'll try to explain it as best I can without spoiling Jaune's plot._

_1.) You don't know what Qrow's position is, or what he does, or if he commands anything._

_2.) In real life, it's not possible to be a SEAL at his age, but I can only give you one answer to that._

_One, this is Fanfiction, _

_Two,_

**_Sierra-117_**

_Anyways, let's just get on with the chapter._

_P.S This starts with Weiss' POV._

* * *

_This time, I didn't want to sleep though. A part of me just wanted to sit there, and accept what the voice was saying in my head. The other part wanted me to let go and forget. That's exactly what I did. With tears stinging my eyes, I made my way towards the kitchen. I stood in front of the cherry-oak cupboards, and opened the one closest to me. I reached behind, to the furthest part of it, and felt the familiar texture of a paper bag._

_I secured my hand around it, and walked back towards the couch, not bothering to shut the cupboard door. I dragged my feet to the couch, and sat on it. I reached inside the bag, and pulled out a tall and wide blue glass bottle. I ripped the cork off of it, and started to drink its contents. It burned my throat to no end. I could already feel the alcohol affecting me. I didn't care though. I just wanted to forget everything. I heaved the bottle up again, chugging another fiery chunk of the liquid._

_Everyone had their own issues. _

_And everyone had their own poison._

_My just happened to be alcohol. _

_I knew I had a low tolerance. I didn't care. I was about halfway through the bottle now, not even two minutes into my poison. I let myself go now, following the drunken thoughts of my mind. Knowing myself, I'd go get the other bottle._

_Maybe I'd get poisoning. Maybe I'd kill myself. All to forget my problems. It wasn't right. I knew it wasn't right. Then again,_

_Who cares?_

In all reality, I was never a morning person. Proof enough when I fell out of bed. All I wanted to do was turn over on my other side, and snuggle with this huge blanket on me, but no, fate had other plans. I lay there on the floor for God knows how long. I faintly opened my eyes, just enough to see the digital clock on the end table. The blue LED light read 9:57 am. Seriously!? I just couldn't get the extra three minutes of sleep!?

I slowly pushed myself off the floor. My fingers were a little weak from that waking up muscle sickness, or whatever it was called. I knew it was a constant pain when I got to school in the morning and started writing something down. My fingers just didn't have enough strength to grip the damn thing.

School.

Well, I guess it didn't matter anymore. Today was Tuesday, and our flight for Disneyland left tonight. Including today, that gave us six days, plus our long-weekend school break, which meant no school until Monday. I had to admit it. Professor Ozpin really played his cards well, given the circumstances. Given my circumstances, I still needed to make it up to Blake somehow for letting me stay in her house. I still remember crying over the whole thing, even after we had said our goodnights. I was an absolute emotional wreck, but that's nothing new.

I dragged my feet along to open the door to the hallway. I didn't have anything on, except for a pair of short shorts, and a super baggy T-shirt. Father probably would've grounded me if he saw such unkemptness, but then again, he wasn't an issue anymore. All I ever was to him was a business interest, nothing more, nothing less. I unconsciously traced the scar over my left eye. I remember what happened vividly. I had done something, which now I can't even remember what, and he got angry with me.

He had made me fence with him, and I had lost, terribly. The doctor said I was lucky to escape with my eye. Ever since then, I realized what I really was to my father. It had made me depressed, and then that's where my cuts started. I went and saw the family doctor, without my father knowing, of course, and he had diagnosed me with depression. He had given me light doses of medicine, a simple, small pill a day to help brighten my mood, but after months of suffering through that, the medicine just wasn't enough. It only went downhill from there. Father had been sitting on my bed, waiting for me to get out of the shower. It was a huge surprise when I walked out of the bathroom attached to my room, clad in nothing but a towel, and saw him there.

That's when he found out. He grabbed my wrists, and he saw the cuts. He found my medicine, and he was furious. I never forgot that day. He had abused me. He slapped me across the face so hard I fell to the ground. He pulled me around by my ear, hair, anything he could get his hands on, and he threw me into everything. I got shoved into my dresser, thrown onto the floor, and even pinned to the wall in a chokehold. My mother walked in after hearing all the commotion, and went off on my father. I'd never seen him so terrified in his life.

I drew myself back into the present, as I continued to walk down the stairs. I reached the bottom, and turned the corner.

I screamed.

Blake was laying on the floor, two empty bottles of some liquor next to her. One knocked over on the coffee table, and one on the floor, just out of her hand's grasp. I was scared. I was scared because the bottles were both empty. I was scared because Blake wasn't moving. I was scared because I felt I was going to lose someone. I rushed over to her, turning her over on her back. I gently shook her, whispering her name.

I signed in relief when her eyes gently fluttered for moment. Instead of the usual amber color that was always there, there was just a hazy amber, glassed-over. Her eyes were bloodshot, too much for her own good. Her breath absolutely _reeked_ of alcohol. I tried my best to keep her with me, but her eyes closed and she passed out, or so I could only hope.

I didn't know what to do. I can't call my family for help. 911 would probably end up throwing her in jail, and since Blake is a Faunus, I can't even begin to imagine what they would do to her in jail. I looked around until I saw Blake's phone on the coffee table.

I prayed to God that the phone didn't have a passcode on it. I attempted to unlock, but to no avail. There was a passcode, unfortunately. I felt the phone vibrate in my hand as a message notification appeared. I thanked the heavens, and quickly slid my finger down the small black notification box. The contact read Jaune, which was even better. I hastily type my message to him.

'_Jaune its weiss blake is passed out and i dont know if shes okay please come here wit yang' _

I nearly threw up at the sight of such horrible grammar, but I couldn't care less right now. I received an instant reply.

_'Her passcode is 2008. FaceTime me, now.'_

I hastily typed the passcode in, and to I was utterly astounded when the phone unlocked itself. I grunted when I saw all her apps were in neat folders at the very bottom of her screen. People always glorifying their damn home screens. It took me about twenty seconds, but I finally found her FaceTime app, and opened it. I mashed the contact button, and mashed Jaune's name even more.

It rang for less than two seconds before his face appeared on my screen. Before I could even get a greeting of any sort in, he interrupted me.

"Let me see her, now." He commanded.

I obliged, switching the camera to the one on the back of the phone. I heard Jaune go off on a happy strew of curses.

"Get her on the couch or something. Keep her elevated, a seventy degree angle at the least. Keep an eye on her if she throws up, and wait for me to get there, alright?" He said.

I muttered a "Yeah, alright." Back, and the video cut out. I grabbed Blake by her waist and under her arm, and dragged her up on the couch, as much as my dainty muscles would let me. I sat her up like Jaune had asked me to, and then I grabbed Blake's phone again.

I stood up and ran over to the front door, opening it, and unlocking the glass/screen door. Walked back to the sofa, while trying finding Yang's number, and calling her. I had a little more luck finding her contact, and pressed the call button. It rang around five times before I heard the line pick up.

"Kitty, it ain't even ten yet. Whaddya want?" She slurred out.

"Yang, its Weiss. Blake's... I don't even know. I came downstairs, and she's passed out on the floor with two empty..." I looked at one of the bottles. "Vodka bottles next to her. I called Jaune and he's on his way, but you should get here too." My voice was frantic and I jumbled on my words. I noticed the phone in my hand was shaking, as well.

There was a pregnant pause before Yang spoke. Her voice was definitely more awake and alert now. "I'll be there in less than ten minutes. You keep an eye on her, and if anything happens to her, call me."

"Yeah, you got it."

The line went dead, and I slumped back into the sofa, keeping a close and mindful eye on Blake. I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt, waiting for the arrival of Jaune and Yang. Around ten minutes passed, and I worried Yang wasn't going to get her. In the meantime, I had really thought on why Blake would do this. I started to think that maybe it was my fault. Maybe she already had a lot of problems, and I was just another burden to her. I was just brining more problems on her, and she nearly drank herself to death over it.

It was my fault, wasn't it?

My gripped tightened on my shirt. I had the urge to cut again, _bad._ I needed something to keep these thoughts and worries away. Something to focus on. It was just me getting what I deserve, anyways. I felt warms tears sporadically drip on my face, and I stood up and slowly walked into the kitchen. I tried to stop. I willed my body in every way possible not to move. It had a mind of its own though, and slowly but surely, I now stood in the kitchen with a ceramic knife in my hand.

I pressed it to my wrist, gazing at all the other faded scars on my arm. I cried harder now. I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to hurt myself. I didn't want to exist. I just wanted all this to stop. I pressed the blade against my skin, pressure it, but still trying to resist it.

I never heard the two sounds of engines outside the house.

I pressed it a little harder, close to drawing blood.

And just as I was about to cut, the blade was knocked from my hand. I turned around and saw Yang, wearing black jeans and that usual hoodie of hers. I still felt the tears rolling down my face. I didn't know what to do. I felt so ashamed, so... alienated... The next thing I knew, I was being held close to Yang's chest. She had hugged me tightly, in a comforting bear-hug. She held me close to her, one arm around my back, the other holding my head to her chest. She whispered words of comfort to me, trying her best to calm me down.

I was happy. I really was. I had someone like Yang looking out for me. I couldn't even remember the last time I was hugged like this, in a caring embrace. It must've been years ago. This feeling was just so... foreign to me. I didn't know what it was, but I really liked it. I hugged Yang back as much as I could, while she still tried to calm me down.

I eventually left Yang's embrace, and walked back with her to the living room. Blake was laying on the couch now, with a blanket over her. She had two pillows propping her up, and Jaune sat on the coffee table, talking to her. I walked over to her and Jaune, while Yang wrapped me in a side hug. Blake smiled gently at me, the lazily turned her focus to Yang. She made half-lidded eye-contact with her, before her eyes shut.

I heard Jaune sigh next to us. He rubbed his temples, then tested his hands under his chin. Yang broke the silence when she spoke. "She promised me should would stop. It only used to be a glass or two before, maybe once a month, not even. I've never seen it this bad. She really must've been an emotional wreck last night..."

"It's my fault, isn't it? I did this to her. I gave her more problems she didn't need." I spoke. My voice was sullen, I felt absolutely terrible right now.

Yang squeezed me a little tighter. "Oh hush you little drama queen." She scolded me. God, it sounded so motherly. I wondered why. I remember Sun mentioning something about her having a little sister yesterday, but other than that I had no clue.

"You think Blake and I don't talk, Weiss? She was actually quite happy to have someone to live with. She probably got tired _'of doing it by herself'_, she questionably suggested.

"You are so insufferable!" I yelled at her. I heard Jaune cackling with laughter. "And you too, you...you...scraggly-haired blond!"

_"For the love of God Yang, please shut up..." _Blake whispered. Jaune laughed a little louder, before shushing Blake to sleep again. I smiled at the sight. I was definitely feeling a lot better now. I guess I just had a small anxiety attack or something like that. God, I'd have to get rid of those soon.

I realized I wasn't crying anymore, and that I was actually smiling. The animosity towards myself was gone, and it was replaced by something foreign. Words could barely describe it.

My heart was beating just a little faster. My body felt a little warmer. I felt like I had been friends with these three for all my life. I felt _welcome_. I felt _wanted_. I felt...

_Loved_

I really didn't mind this feeling. I welcomed and cherished it. It felt good, my worries gone and out the window. I didn't feel the need to cry, or cut, or breakdown, or anything like that. It was purely indescribable.

When I refocused my attention, I was standing in the kitchen with Yang and Jaune. Yang had her hand lazily draped around my shoulder, still keeping me in a slight embrace. I didn't mind it, so I crossed my hands and let them rest on my thigh.

"She'll be better in a few hours. I gave her some dust-enhanced painkillers, so hopefully she'll sleep in peace." Jaune said, rubbing his temples. I heaved a heavy sigh, and moved over to the coffee pot, preparing pot of the much needed (for all of us) beverage.

"Rough night?" Yang asked with a small chuckle.

"Yeah. Just had some bad dreams, that's all." He took a short breath. "And you?"

"Decent. Ruby had a real bad dream last night. She practically came into my room screaming bloody murder." I guess my assumptions were correct when I thought Ruby was Yang's little sister.

"My poor baby was so terrified. Another nightmare about mom dying._ Fuck_, she's never been the same since then. I can't do _anythin_g for her, but just hold her, and listen to her cry for hours. What a great fucking sister I am." Her voice saddened, she was clearly upset _and_ losing her temper, which was never a good thing. I gently tugged her close to me. She looked down at me, and it looked like she had completely forgotten that I was there.

"Thanks, midget..." She said, trapping me in another one of her bear-hugs. I let it slide this time, and gently hugged her back.

"Alright. I'm going to go back home and get packed up. I'll see you guys at the airport." Yang said. Jaune and I mumbled an affirmative response, and she walked out of the kitchen. She paused by Blake in the living room, and then walked away. There was an echo of the door shutting, and then the roar of a motorcycle engine.

"I should probably get going, too. I'll see you tonight." Jaune said, before walking out. The familiar sound of the door and a motorcycle engine resonated once more.

The familiar sound of silence.

* * *

_Sorry for the wait guys. I just haven't gotten around to writing much, especially since I'm betaing for two of my friends right now. I know this chapter was annoyingly short, but I didn't want a massive chapter donated to our neighborhood heiress, Weiss. Review as always!_


	7. Reclaim our Friendship

_"My poor baby was so terrified. Another nightmare about mom dying. Fuck, she's never been the same since then. I can't do anything for her, but just hold her, and listen to her cry for hours. What a great fucking sister I am." Her voice saddened, she was clearly upset and losing her temper, which was never a good thing. I gently tugged her close to me. She looked down at me, and it looked like she had completely forgotten that I was there._

_"Thanks, midget." She said, trapping me in another one of her bear-hugs. I let it slide this time, and gently hugged her back. _

_"Alright. I'm going to go back home and get packed up. I'll see you guys at the airport." Yang said. Jaune and I mumbled an affirmative response, and she walked out of the kitchen. She paused by Blake in the living room, and then walked away. There was an echo of the door shutting, and then the roar of a motorcycle engine._

_"I should probably get going, too. I'll see you tonight." Jaune said, before walking out. The familiar sound of the door and a motorcycle engine resonated once more._

_The familiar sound of silence._

* * *

I could briefly remember being conscious when Jaune and Yang came over. It was very brief, maybe only a good thirty seconds before I slipped unconscious again. This time, I could feel every much more clearly. I realized that I was actually coming to for good this time. There was a lot of thoughts swarming my mind, which somehow felt rather clear, considering the fact I nearly drank myself to death. I guess I would have to thank Jaune for that.

I was really concerned for Weiss at the moment. I must've scared her half to death. Her scream did jolt me awake for a moment though, which was her only relief. I didn't want to make up a long list of excuses to give everyone, so I decided I just would make stuff up on the spot.

I propped myself up with my elbow, and rubbed the residual sleep out of my eyes. I lazily grabbed my phone off the coffee table, and checked the time. It was only a little past five. We had to leave at quarter after six, so I pushed myself off the couch, and began the short trek to my room.

I walked into my room, and opened the closet door. I pulled my medium-sized black suitcase out, and began packing the norm. I made sure to pack a bikini or two. You just don't go to Disneyland without going to the beach. I finished packing up my suitcase some ten minutes later.

I heard a soft knock on my door, and turned around to see Weiss standing in the doorway. She held a saddened, if not slightly neutral expression. I gave her a short smile, a walked over to her. I hugged her tightly, to which she thankfully returned.

"You know, I thought you were dead." She mumbled into my shoulder.

I mumbled a few apologies back.

"I don't need the apologies, Blake. Yang, on the other hand..." She trailed off.

I sighed. I promised Yang months ago that I would stop drinking, so this was a major stab in the back to her... I guess I would just have to cross that bridge when the time came. I did feel guilty about it though. I did make a promise, after all.

Weiss let go of me, and leaned back up against the doorframe. "Well... Just a little bit longer and we'll be off. It's overly coincidental how Professor Ozpin planned this, huh?" I nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah, but that's just how he works, I guess." I added.

"Well... I'll leave you to it then..." Weiss trailed off, most likely back to her own room.

* * *

We had all met up at the airport, just as we had planned. We had somehow gotten through the ridiculous amount of security that the airport provided, and we were currently waiting for our plane.

Jaune had somehow found his seat next to me. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I knew this talk was coming, but not quite so soon. I steadied and braced myself for whatever rant he was about to go on.

"How're you feeling?" He asked. There wasn't a real voice of concern backing his voice, but just enough to show he was genuinely interested.

"Good." I curtly replied. I really didn't feel like talking about this now. Hell, we weren't even on the plane yet, let alone to our actual destination.

"Look. I know that you don't wanna talk about this. I won't bug you about it now, but we will talk when we get to California. I'm not just going to let something like this to. In the meantime, I think that's Yang coming over. Good luck." Jaune spoke, leaving as quickly as he came. Yang took his seat not five seconds later.

"You know, I really thought that you had promised me that you would stop drinking, but then I get a call at ten in the morning by a lunatic Weiss, saying that you're passed out. I just... I just can't believe you'd do this to me..." She somberly said. She was a lot more collected than I thought she had been when approaching me about this.

I was apprehensive with my next words. "I don't know why I did it Yang. I was so depressed last night. I heard a voice in my head, Yang. A voice." I said, emphasizing my point about hearing a voice in my head.

"Well... That's one reason..." Yang quietly said, trying to lightening the conversation with humor, however minuscule it may be. I smiled at her honest attempt. It kind of felt good to have someone like Yang backing me up, or rather, being there in these types of situations when I royally, "Dun goofed up", as Sage often put it. I lost focus on Yang for a moment, taking on the sight of the airport, which was set abuzz by the herds upon herds of pedestrians.

"I think this is a vacation that we all really needed. Ozpin said that we should get to our hotel tonight. Jaune and Sun are going to be taking a quick drive up to Coronado to visit some friends when we land, but they said they'll be back down the next day. Since we have Thanksgiving break next week, Ozpin said we could all drive back home if we wanted." Yang explained, re-focusing myself just in time to hear her explanation.

"So, do we have any sort of specific plans besides just going to Disneyland? And besides going to the beach?" I asked. While this vacation was extremely gracious, I could only help but be a beggar and a chooser, and hope there was more to it.

Yang thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "I supposed we would've just went down there and if we wanted to do anything else, we would. I mean, we could always have a ton of fun if we drove back home." Yang added in. I thought about it for a moment. Road trips were always fun, though I hated being box in a tiny car. Things like convertibles, motorcycles, or anything open-air was okay with me. It's a miracle that they actually got me to go on this plane.

"You know I can't sit in cars for long periods of time. Maybe if it was just with you, or someone else I feel comfortable being around with in close spaces, but I don't think that's going to happen. Where the heck would we get cars anyways?"

"Ozpin apparently took the liberty of spending the football team's budget for a new locker room, and spent it on getting Sage, Neptune, and Jaune'car down to whichever airport is closest to Disneyland. I guess now that I look back on it, he was actually forcing us to drive back home in a way…" Yang deadpanned, realizing the current situation.

"Well then..."

A loud voice over the PA system snapped us out of our thoughts, signaling us that our flight would leave soon. I hoped the flight wouldn't be too packed, especially since we were on an airplane. I wasn't germaphobic, but even most people would agree with me, since this was in fact a plane.

* * *

We soon found our spots on the plane. I was unluckily stuck on the wall-side, on the left-most row of seats, but I luckily was seated to the left of Jaune, while Yang sat on the edge row. Poor Weiss was smudged between Sun and Neptune ahead of us, though she seemed to be have a happy conversation with the both of them. Yatsuhashi and Sage sat behind us, with a free seat in-between them. Lucky.

I turned to Jaune. "So I saw that our plane lands in Coronado, and that we're supposed to drive the rest of the way. Why are you and Sun meeting up with us later?" I asked.

"Sun and I have some friends to visit out there. Before I say this, do you know what my Uncle Qrow's job is?" Jaune asked. I thought about it for a moment. "Yes, doesn't he work as a tactical planner for the SEALs on the naval base out there? I read about him on this Facebook article. His name is Qrow Branwen, right?"

Jaune hummed is response. "Yeah, I wanted to go see him, if he isn't too busy. I'd ask you to tag along, but our friends and I wanted this to kinda be a "boy's night out" kind of thing, y'know?" He sheepishly said.

"Oh no, I understand. So, I suppose you don't happen to have an entertainment for us? This is a flight from New York to California after all. And it looks like Uncle Ozpin decided to give us six extra detours." I said, switching the topic, while simultaneously praying that Jaune had indeed brought some form of entertainment for us.

"Well, I do have this…" He said, standing up to reach into the luggage compartment above our heads. A few moments later he sat back down with a sleek-black laptop, and modest fleece blanket. He haphazardly tossed me part of it, and another to Yang, which we both wrapped ourselves into. He pulled a small black device out of his pocket. An ingenious invention known as an audio-splitter. He pulled a second one out, and however ridiculous it looked, hooked it up to his laptop. Yang tugged her headphones out of her ear, and I pulled mine out of my pocket, and we all made cozy into our little media center.

"So, what do you wanna watch?"

Erm, a little shorter than usual, but I felt like just putting this out there for now. Review as always! Hopefully the next update should be out sooner then this.


	8. Notice

Hey everyone! I'm gonna apologize now if you guys were expecting an update.

Unfortunately, I feel like I really need to take a break from fanfiction.

Family issues at home are just getting so out of hand I just can't be left alone to write, or have any peace of mind.

Fortunately, there's this very special girl to me who has really helped me out. I could not have asked for anyone else in the world to help me through these tough times.

Oh, and as a side announcement, I'll be heading to RTX next year in 2015.

I'm not entirely sure when I'll be back on, but I really need some breathing time.

Thanks everyone,

Seth


	9. Reclaim the One Reason

_"My poor baby was so terrified. Another nightmare about mom dying. Fuck, she's never been the same since then. I can't do anything for her, but just hold her, and listen to her cry for hours. What a great fucking sister I am." Her voice saddened, she was clearly upset and losing her temper, which was never a good thing. I gently tugged her close to me. She looked down at me, and it looked like she had completely forgotten that I was there._

_"Thanks, midget." She said, trapping me in another one of her bear-hugs. I let it slide this time, and gently hugged her back._

_"Alright. I'm going to go back home and get packed up. I'll see you guys at the airport." Yang said. Jaune and I mumbled an affirmative response, and she walked out of the kitchen. She paused by Blake in the living room, and then walked away. There was an echo of the door shutting, and then the roar of a motorcycle engine._

_"I should probably get going, too. I'll see you tonight." Jaune said, before walking out. The familiar sound of the door and a motorcycle engine resonated once more._

_The familiar sound of silence._

I could briefly remember being conscious when Jaune and Yang came over. It was very brief, maybe only a good thirty seconds before I slipped unconscious again. This time, I could feel every much more clearly. I realized that I was actually coming to for good this time. There was a lot of thoughts swarming my mind, which somehow felt rather clear, considering the fact I nearly drank myself to death. I guess I would have to thank Jaune for that.

I was really concerned for Weiss at the moment. I must've scared her half to death. Her scream did jolt me awake for a moment though, which was her only relief. I didn't want to make up a long list of excuses to give everyone, so I decided I just would make stuff up on the spot.

I propped myself up with my elbow, and rubbed the residual sleep out of my eyes. I lazily grabbed my phone off the coffee table, and checked the time. It was only a little past five. We had to leave at quarter after six, so I pushed myself off the couch, and began the short trek to my room.

I walked into my room, and opened the closet door. I pulled my medium-sized black suitcase out, and began packing the norm. I made sure to pack a bikini or two. You just don't go to Disneyland without going to the beach. I finished packing up my suitcase some ten minutes later.

I heard a soft knock on my door, and turned around to see Weiss standing in the doorway. She held a saddened, if not slightly neutral expression. I gave her a short smile, a walked over to her. I hugged her tightly, to which she thankfully returned.

"You know, I thought you were dead." She mumbled into my shoulder.

I mumbled a few apologies back.

"I don't need the apologies, Blake. Yang, on the other hand..." She trailed off.

I sighed. I promised Yang months ago that I would stop drinking, so this was a major stab in the back to her... I guess I would just have to cross that bridge when the time came. I did feel guilty about it though. I did make a promise, after all.

Weiss let go of me, and leaned back up against the doorframe. "Well... Just a little bit longer and we'll be off. It's overly coincidental how Professor Ozpin planned this, huh?" I nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah, but that's just how he works, I guess." I added.

"Well... I'll leave you to it then..." Weiss trailed off, most likely back to her own room.

We had all met up at the airport, just as we had planned. We had somehow gotten through the ridiculous amount of security that the airport provided, and we were currently waiting for our plane.

Jaune had somehow found his seat next to me. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I knew this talk was coming, but not quite so soon. I steadied and braced myself for whatever rant he was about to go on.

"How're you feeling?" He asked. There wasn't a real voice of concern backing his voice, but just enough to show he was genuinely interested.

"Good." I curtly replied. I really didn't feel like talking about this now. Hell, we weren't even on the plane yet, let alone to our actual destination.

"Look. I know that you don't wanna talk about this. I won't bug you about it now, but we will talk when we get to California. I'm not just going to let something like this to. In the meantime, I think that's Yang coming over. Good luck." Jaune spoke, leaving as quickly as he came. Yang took his seat not five seconds later.

"You know, I really thought that you had promised me that you would stop drinking, but then I get a call at ten in the morning by a lunatic Weiss, saying that you're passed out. I just... I just can't believe you'd do this to me..." She somberly said. She was a lot more collected than I thought she had been when approaching me about this.

I was apprehensive with my next words. "I don't know why I did it Yang. I was so depressed last night. I heard a voice in my head, Yang. A voice." I said, emphasizing my point about hearing a voice in my head.

"Well... That's one reason..." Yang quietly said, trying to lightening the conversation with humor, however minuscule it may be. I smiled at her honest attempt. It kind of felt good to have someone like Yang backing me up, or rather, being there in these types of situations when I royally, "Dun goofed up", as Sage often put it. I lost focus on Yang for a moment, taking on the sight of the airport, which was set abuzz by the herds upon herds of pedestrians.

"I think this is a vacation that we all really needed. Ozpin said that we should get to our hotel tonight. Jaune and Sun are going to be taking a quick drive up to Coronado to visit some friends when we land, but they said they'll be back down the next day. Since we have Thanksgiving break next week, Ozpin said we could all drive back home if we wanted." Yang explained, re-focusing myself just in time to hear her explanation.

"So, do we have any sort of specific plans besides just going to Disneyland? And besides going to the beach?" I asked. While this vacation was extremely gracious, I could only help but be a beggar and a chooser, and hope there was more to it.

Yang thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "I supposed we would've just went down there and if we wanted to do anything else, we would. I mean, we could always have a ton of fun if we drove back home." Yang added in. I thought about it for a moment. Road trips were always fun, though I hated being box in a tiny car. Things like convertibles, motorcycles, or anything open-air was okay with me. It's a miracle that they actually got me to go on this plane.

"You know I can't sit in cars for long periods of time. Maybe if it was just with you, or someone else I feel comfortable being around with in close spaces, but I don't think that's going to happen. Where the heck would we get cars anyways?"

"Ozpin apparently took the liberty of spending the football team's budget for a new locker room, and spent it on getting Sage, Neptune, and Jaune's car down to whichever airport is closest to Disneyland. I guess now that I look back on it, he was actually forcing us to drive back home in a way…" Yang deadpanned, realizing the current situation.

"Well then..."

A loud voice over the PA system snapped us out of our thoughts. It appeared that our flight was about to leave shortly.

Well, this looks like it's going to be an interesting trip.

HELLLLOOOOOOOOO AND WELCOME ME BACK!

Yeah, so the girl was just a liar and a cheater. I tried to help her out so much, but I just gave up. In other news, I've recently recovered from 3 suicide attempts in the past two months, so you bet I'll have angsty things to write. I'll also write an ArKos fanfic based on the failed long distance relationship I had with her, but if it actually worked out.

In other news, I'll be going to RTX 2015. (August 7-9) as Hei from Darker Than Black.

Sorry for the short update, I just wanted to put it out there that I'm back and alive!


	10. Reclaim the Nightmare

_Sorry everyone, it looked like stuff totally derped the hell up. Great start for just coming back, lol. Anyways, heres the long awaited next chapter_

* * *

_"Well, I do have this…" He said, standing up to reach into the luggage compartment above our heads. A few moments later he sat back dow_

_n with a sleek-black laptop, and modest fleece blanket. He haphazardly tossed me part of it, and another to Yang, which we both wrapped ourselves into. He pulled a small black device out of his pocket. An ingenious invention known as an audio-splitter. He pu__lled a second one out, and however ridiculous it looked, hooked it up to his laptop. Yang tugged her headphones out of her ear, and I pulled mine out of my pocket, and we all made cozy into our little media center._

_"So, what do you wanna watch?"_

* * *

If there was one thing I didn't know about Kim Jong Un, it was that he loved Katy Perry.

I was never particularly the type to fancy comedy movies, but James Franco and Seth Rogen had to possibly the best comedy duo next to Gabriel Iglesias and Kevin Hart. If only that could happen...

I knew I had fallen asleep at some point into the second movie we had watched. I was still very tired from this morning's dilemma, and honestly did not want to stay awake any longer. I was fairly sure I had dozed off with my head resting on the wall, but as luck would have it, I find myself here, half-asleep on Jaune's shoulder, with his arm hugging me close to him.

I peeked over and saw that Yang was essentially knocked out, happily sprawled out in her seat. Well, at least she was comfortable. I looked up to Jaune, who...looked... terrible. His face was flushed red, sweat dripping down his face. He held the arm of his chair with fierce intensity. What was wrong with him?

Flashback, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.

* * *

It was early morning in the arid deserts of Afghanistan. The sun was still rising over the horizon, and the world seemed to inch and inch to higher temperatures. Jaune sat in a tent, along with other DEVGRU Operators, planning for an upcoming Op.

The basic summary of the Operation, was to eliminate a high-value Taliban affiliate in Somalia, who was funding the Somali pirates. Two squads of DEVGRU operators would board two UH-80 Ghosthawk prototypes, which ran on Dust for fuel efficiency. From there the teams would refuel on the CVN-69 Dwight D. Eisenhower stationed in the Gulf of Aden.

The target, Ahmed Abdullah, was confirmed to be in the general location of Eys, Somalia. CIA Deep Cover agents were right on the verge of pinpointing his exact location, of course the catch would be that the operation would be a complete and total bust if the CIA failed to pinpoint Ahmed. The team could only hope that they pulled through.

The plan went to hell fairly quickly. Ahmed had joined the Somali Pirates on one of their excursions against a cargo ship. He and some dozen other armed bastards were holed up on a cargo ship. The crew was thankfully still alive, but all trapped below deck somewhere.

The plan had gone from fastroping right on Ahmed's location over land, to boarding a hijacked ship, some twenty miles off the hostile coast of Somalia. What a wonderful turn of events.

Jaune adjusted his rifle a few times before settling back down. He and three other teammates of his were hunkered low on a RHIB boat, the water splashing onto the lens of his night-vision goggles. They had just pulled up undetected alongside the hijacked cargo ship, the Aden Navigator. Jaune looked at his hands, and used his index fingers to press a hidden button on them. He felt the hum of energy slightly tingle his hands, a sign that the magnetic lock was working.

They were as close as they were possibly going to get to the Navigator. The gap was only about five, maybe seven feet. Jaune stood up, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. Clenching his hands twice, he took the leap of faith towards the Navigator. The gloves had pulled through and successfully locked on to the metal hull of the ship. He looked to his right and left. Both his squadmates were present and accounted for.

He began the slightly grueling climb up, a solid thirty or so meters. Once he had reached the top, he carefully peeked the right and left of the deck. It only had a good two meters of width to it due to the hulking cargo containers stacked upon each other. After he was sure the entry point was secure, he gave a two finger motion to his teammates that it was clear to board.

Turning off the magnets on his gloves, Jaune slung his trusty H&amp;K 416 Rifle into his hands. He felt the familiar folding grip underneath the barrel. He flipped the PEQ-2 Laser sight on, which was sturdily attached to the right side of his barrel. His sight was the standard EOTech sight, which had never failed him before.

He was in his shooter's stance, carefully watching straight down the little pathway towards the bridge.

"Laser tripwire is up. Let's move." Jaune heard his teammate say. He began to move forward, his eyes never leaving the area in front of him. He continued moving up until part of a cargo container jutted out, blocking his view. He began to slowly move around it, when suddenly someone appeared in front of him.

Jaune's finger had almost squeezed the trigger fully, but the man had immediately went low and pushed Jaune's gun up, trying to close the distance.

'Gun obsolete. Sidearm useless. Hand to hand could get loud. Knife.' Jaune quickly thought to himself. He let go of his gun, left hand first. He used that hand to grab the assailant by the back of his collar, while simultaneously jumping, trying to use the flat of his assailants back to roll over. Jaune's right hand went for his karambit knife in the meanwhile.

Jaune had rolled over and go the behind of his assailant, while still holding the back of his collar.

And with his curved knife in his right hand, he plunged the sharpened steel into the back of the man's neck, jutting it through clean.

* * *

Blake nearly jumped in surprise when she saw Jaune's eyes shoot wide open, while he suddenly, but quietly shot up in his seat. Blake couldn't be kind about her word choice. He looked like shit. His arm was still around her shoulder, and she could feel his hand shaking. More like his whole damn arm.

Before she could utter a single word, Jaune quickly stood up, and made his way to the aisle, still being careful enough not to wake Yang. Blake's eyes followed Jaune until he disappeared into the restroom.

Jaune pulled his wallet out of his jeans and quickly opened it. He opened a tiny pocket and a small pill rolled out of it. He quickly swallowed dry, and tried to calm his body down. His mind was running a trillion miles a millisecond, and he needed to relax.

How could he ever face Blake again after that?

* * *

_Sorry for the mess up with the last chapter. I've been so busy lately, and I'm still dealing with really bad depression, and I felt the need to put something out there._

_On a side note, do you guys wanna see more flashbacks, a whole chapter to Jaune's military past, or should I just jump straight into California? As always review please!_


	11. UPDATE, IMPORTANT!

Hello everybody. I know I haven't updated this story in a very long time, and the short and simple reason as to why I haven't is because I've been extremely busy, and I also screwed up pretty bad on how I wanted this story to go.

The official, and better than ever reboot for this story is now on my profile under "Fade to Shadows". I do hope you go give that read!

Thank you for making this the most successful story I've ever had. Let's double those stats on an actual good story this time.

Kindest regards,

Seth.


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